


Cinderella || NDRV3

by Astrella



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Canon Rewrite, Childhood Trauma, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Murder Mystery, Mystery, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Rewrite, Rivalry, Romance, Slow Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-01-06 09:03:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21224042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astrella/pseuds/Astrella
Summary: Rumour has it; Cinderella was a liar.Dawning a beautiful ballgown and glass slippers, all to appear at the ball as the 'Mysterious Princess of Another Land.'She knew she was quite the same.Only when the clock strikes midnight, there may be no one to liberate her from fate's grasps.It's a simple game of 'Survival of the Fittest.'Either find the blackened, or everyone but the killer will die.Seventeen students, two survivors.Disclaimer: This will be my retelling of Danganronpa V3 with my own characters and a new ending, so some details will be different, and some events are not canon in any way. I do not own Danganronpa or any of its characters; I only own my original characters. This will definitely include spoilers for V3 as well as most of the Hope's Peak Academy Saga. It will also contain a moderate amount of swearing, so please proceed with caution.This story will have much slower updates; please bear with me.





	1. || Prologue ||

**Prologue**

_Two girls bolted through the darkness, one firmly tugging the arm of the other as their figures briefly cast elongated shadows onto the surrounding walls before vanishing as quickly as they appeared. They rounded the corner, shuffling into a shady alleyway, hands clasped over their gaping mouths as they kept their backs pressed against the cold concrete walls. _

_The voices of their pursuers grew thunderous as they drew close, practically shattering the ground beneath them as the girls held their breaths, stilling themselves as much as possible in fear that even the slightest shift within the air could alert their presence. They listened in terror to the crowd's barely comprehensible demands; some beckoned for them with taunting voices, others screamed for their deaths on the brinks of insanity. The girls could do nothing but close their eyes and pray for safety as the haunting voices drew further and further away._

_As soon as the rioters passed, one of the girls' knees gave out. She collapsed to the ground in a mixture of exhaustion and horror, panting laboriously as her limbs trembled from the sudden release in tension. _

_The other girl peered down worriedly at her friend's small stature, watching as she hung her head between her shoulders, coughing heavily. "Can̵ ̶y̸o̷u̷ ̴k̶e̶e̴p̵ ̸g̴oi̴n̷g?̶." She asked, still trying to catch a breath herself._

_"I..." The shorter girl hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think so." She admitted, glancing up at her friend to find that for some reason, her face seemed... strange. Almost as if it was barely recognizable through the static and blurry lines that covered her features. "Go on without me; it'd be bad if they caught you too." She instructed, swiftly brushing off the odd occurrence as the results of the intense fatigue she was experiencing. _

"T̷͚̏-̴̲̚T̷͓he̴̬͒re'̸̬̈́s̸̥̊ ̷̤̈́n̸͉͊o way̶͉̕ ̴͇̍Ḯ̴̤ ̸̙͛coul̷̦̔d̸̨̍ ̵͚̍d̴̏ͅǫ̴̐ ̴̜̾t̷̼̚hå̷̠t̴̖̒!̶̘͒" _Her friend instantly shouted in a whispering voice, frantically dropping to her knees next to the small girl._ " ̸̼̓T̶̗̓heŕ̷̪è̷̼'̶̡̈́5̸̼̌ ̶̯͒n̶̛̻o̶̼͋ ̷̩̄t̴̨͐ẹ̸̐lling̶̨̊ ̵͈͠w̵̛̫h̵̨̍a̷̻͒t̵͖̿ ̸̠̅t̷͔̉ḫ̷̚e̴̯̒y'd d̵̦̚ö̶̰ ̴̪͝t̵̠͑ö̶̝ ̸̫̇u̵̮̒օ̶̀̋ ̶̳̾if ̸̭̏ ̸̱w̷̟̄ë̷͓ w̷̟̄օ̶̀̋r̴͓͆ë̷͓ ̶̜̕ç̸͝a̵̛̖ugh7̴̟̃.̵̿͜" _She reasoned._

_"I know..." The smaller girl couldn't help but wince at the thought. What would they do to her if she was caught? No one knows the details yet, but it was practically certain the results wouldn't be a pretty one. _

_Perhaps it was a conclusion that would make death seem like salvation. _

_The small girl averted her eyes, cringing at the notion of welcoming death with an open embrace. "That's why even if it's just you, you need to get out of here." She said dully._

"N̵͖͒ō̶͍̤͐!̸̭̺̈̐̒̆̓͌̽̕ ̸̢̬̙͖̣̜̯̓͑͌͌̀̀̊̕ ̶̹͉̯͉̭̓̆̓͐͊͋͌̈" _Her friend refused, grabbing onto the girl's delicate hands that was kept firmly planted onto the solid ground below._ "I rօ̶̀̋f̴̭̤̬̿̀̀͜use̴͕͌ to̵͈̖͎̹͇͚̟̞͕̅̈̾̊̋̐̏̎̉̕͜ ̵̙̯̱̭̜̟̈́́̊̐̒͐̀͘le̸̹͂a̸̢͈̋͒ve ̷̜͈̟̝̯̭̟͊̂̓̎̆͌̚yo̵͈̖̅̈̾̊̋̐̏̎̉̕u ̵͎͉̘̰̦̳͐͠behᎮ̷̈̔̿̐nd!̷̡͇̌̈͗̏̓̈́" _She declared, stubbornly trying to pull her back up into a stand._

_"Be rational and listen to me!" Swatting her hand away, the girl snapped. "Now is not the time to be arguing about this." She hissed, not having the heart to spare her friend a single glance in fear that it may sway her resolve, though she could already sense what kind of expression she made. One of pure desperation, one of terror and heartbreak, one of..._

_Despair._

_In an effort to ease her worries, she huffed out a self-depreciated chuckle. "Don't worry about it," She assured. "They'll stop chasing you the moment they've got me."_

"Ň̵̪̩̦̜͂͛Ꮭ̴̓͋̀̌͂̍͂͂͘.̶͕̞͛̒̈̕.̴̛̜͍̦̓.̶̻̯̯̜̀͂̉̽ ̸̲͙̜͓̎̎̿1̵̱̰̋̒̿ ̶̗̲͓͔̀̀̅w̴͇̕0̵̨͎͍̟̓͠n̷̍̓͆ͅ'̸͚͈͊̋ͅt ̵͕̦̩̪̔̑͌̎ľ̴͙̳̹̾̈̿e̷̤̭͖̠͑t tha̴̪̘̹̜͠ṱ̴̑̆̑ͅ ̶̡̱̼̎͌̐hα̸̛̛̺̒͛ρ̷̝̈́͌͋p3̶̨͇̃̌͜͝ɳ̷̟̻̰̦͑̚!̴̹̯͗ͅ" _Her friend sniffled, reaching out to make an effort of pulling her back to her feet._

_"What can you do!?" Frustrated by her friend's desperately futile attempts, a roar of annoyance erupted from the back of her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, choking back the tears that threatened to spill from her cheeks in fear that it may sway her resolve. "Everyone in the city knows what I look like..." She said in a calmer voice, forcing her lips to curl into a smile as she peered up at her friend. "There's no point in me running from them." _

_Her friend froze at her declaration, her mind drawing a blank at what she could do next. She pressed her lips together into a thin line, desperately formulating sentences at the back of her throat in the hopes of pumping out yet another plea despite knowing how futile it may be. But then, her eyes widened as she replayed her friend's words within her mind one more time. _"N̷̝͔͖̭͕̊̇̒̌̇̽͛̚͜ǫ̷͓̝̪̹̎̇̅̈́̃̊́̔̚, y̵̨̢̫̮̌̈́̿̌̈o̷̧̭̟͆̆͊̊͛͝u̸̠͍̐̅̏͘'ll̴̬̆͒̔͗̔̅̌̾ ̶̞̯̖͙̠̀bօ̶̀̋ ju̷͉̩̗͑̂st ̷̹͇̥̘̩͉̪̏̾͠ͅfinẻ̵.̸͛̊̄͝"_ She murmured._

_"What...?" The small girl questioned, noticing that her friend's large eyes were now hidden behind the shadow of her hair._

"B̸̧̟̠̌̑eօ̶̀̋͑̂ą̶̪̜͋͘usẹ̴̒̉̉͆͜ ̵̜̾ͅͅw̵͓͍͔̫̿̊he̴̪͖̞̋̐͑̉ñ̵̢̧̹̆ ̸͓͔̗̘̌the̸̛̱y̷̞̺̲̰̍̒͋̾ ̶͓͎̈́c̴̪̭̉͌͂ome ̶̻̿͗ŝ̶͉͔e̸̗͝arc̷͓̪͐h̵͎̖͙̮͗i̶̮͖̖̳͛̃̒͗ng̷̹̈́̍̉̐ͅͅ ̵͔͘͠f̴̭̤̬̿̀̀͜or y̶̨̘̪̞͒̏ọ̴̬͠u̴͍̬̔͝,̵͙̓ ̴̝̍̀'y̷̨̩͗0̴̡̫̹̇u' w̸͓͔͙̱̓̐͠ill ̵̠͔͛͑͘ǎ̵͚̏ļ̷̙̭̼̏re̸̢̧̫͑͛̊͂adᏂ̵̦͊͆ ̸͖b̷̗̘̻͍̑̓̊̚e̶̗͇̜̓͐̀͂ ̴̫̹̔͐̂here.̵͍͚̺̪̋" _She said, her voice barely a whisper as she locked eyes with the girl in a wry smile. _"T̵̲͎̊̾̚h̵̞̣͔ȅ̴͈̖ ̶̱̘̤̃̈́f̶̧̭͜á̸̛͓̒ct t̷͔̍͜͠h̸̢̾ͅa̶͓̟̼͑t̷̬̔͘ ̶͍͇͑͆'y̵͉͊̋ŏ̵̫͚̱̈́͆ư̷̦̟̻' ̵͖͐h̵̭̋a̶̓͜v̴̩̺̏̈́̑͜ẹ̷͋̚͜ ̴̭͙̠̅b̸̺̯̓̈͝ę̵̬̬̀é̵̡͙̉͗Ꭹ̵̫̂̐͆̿ ̴͎͔̮̆ć̶̱a̶̦͙̔Ꮒ̵̦̳̘͊͆t̶̪̃̈̚u̵̢̬̭̓̒͘ř̷͖̲͒e̸̹̎͒͝ḏ̵̃̀ ̷̬̖͋̇ẘ̷̩͖͈̇̃í̵̹̝͐ll ̴̞̹̤̆͝pr̸̞̆o̵̧̠̔̇̈́͜t̴̝̑̀ě̵̡̾͒c̵̗̠̆ẗ̴̹̳̦́ ̸͚͍̍̇͜ỹ̵̼̓͠o̴̩͇͛̾ǘ̸̹̊ ̶͍̱̍f̶̺̬̩̓͆r̷̬̦͛̍0̶̘̼̪̑̈́̀m ̶̟͒s̷͎̆͝u̶͇͕͊͝s̶̞͔̝͝ṕ̶̯̗͗̚i̷̯͑͘͘Ꮒ̵̦͊͆i̸̤̠͉͂o̶͖̯̊͝n̵̡̈́̋." _She stated, this time her words were laced with an abundance of resolve._

_The smaller girls' eyes rounded in horror as she realized what her friend was implying. "N-No..." She began to shake her head frantically as if her pleas alone could change the course of what was about to happen. "You can't-!"_

I_gnoring the girl's protests, her friend stood onto her feet. Though it wasn't difficult to tell how much her legs were trembling, judging by how quickly she grasped the walls that surrounded them for support. She glanced over her shoulder at the smaller girl, a tranquil smile surfacing her lips. _"I'll be alr̸̞̆ight, ̵̠͚͎̈͛̏͜3̸̩͙̔̽͗ḥ̷̜͍̪̠̪͍͘o̷̖̩̺̟͊͑̅̀̚͘ͅ9̴̢̑͆͛͋̔u̶̪̯̬̎̊͂͆̄̕.̵̨̲͈̟̠̱̐ ̸̧̱̬̭̥̗̟̃̾̄̅͆̎͜" _She reassured, though the trembling her limbs easily betrayed the terror that plagued her heart. _"If ̷̰̦̇̈̾̕̚ ś̶͇̱͎̹̦̿̔͑̄omeo̶̖͕̹͒̐͊̒͠ne ̵̧̬̳̺̮̪̖̥͒ä̸̧̹̜̠͎͖̦̥͍́̐̈͒̅̀̈͗͜s̴̨̠͒̓̉̂͆̄͂̔̾ ̶̨͙̙̥̗͕̰̤̋̈́̑̆Ꭾ̷̈̔Ꮭ̴̭͉̯̓͋̀̌͂̍͂͂͘8̷̻̹̺̹͋͋̆̇̕1̴̨͕͉̗̼̲̈́͒͂̆̇͒͠Ꮒ̵̨̦̳̘͚͚̝͊͆ ̶̢̢͚͈̪͓̘̼̆͊̀̄à̸̠́͗̈́͊̾́̉͝n̵̛̩̪̱̤͖̓͐͆̇d̶̲̻̫̼͆̌͝ ̴̢͎̫̓̎̓͊̑͂͝͝ʂ̵̥̹̭̞̝͕̮̭̭̂̓͂̋̈̈́̕ῐ̸̪̭̭̙̫͓̺̲̓̊̿̋̈́͊̍̏Ꮒ̵̦̳͊͆Ꮭ̴̨̡̭͉̯̞̜̓͋̀̌͂̍͂͂͘1̶̨͈̤͖̱̑̂̄3̶̧̽͑̊̓͂̓̈́̎͜ ̴̝̩͗̃̀̒̈́̎͌́̄͘a̶̛͇̖͇̻̘̓̽͆̌ͅS̵̹̥̫̙̥̓̍̒̈́̋͐̊͋̕͘ ̶̛̯͒̇̒m̶̜̩̱̋̊̈͊̅̄̕͠ͅ3̴͖̼̑͐̋̉͘͝ ̷͍͉̖̉͂c̵̡̹̅͊̐ȧ̶̦͈̠̤̩͕̫͌̅͝n̷̛̤̭͎̳̮̳̣̙͍ ̴̧͕̰̳͊̈͒̂̓̈́̀ֆ̸̨̲̳͚̗̜͕͑̽̂̚r̸̞̆o̵̧̠̔̇̈́͜t̴̝̑̀ě̵̡̾͒c̵̗̠̆ẗ̴̹̳̦́ y̴̺̭͍̞͕͖̓̑̾o̶̖͕̹͒̐͊̒͠ǘ̷͚͖̜̩̬̦͇̀ͅͅͅ,,̵̨̺̰͔̬̙̩̝̄̌ ̸̧̳̐͋͛͝օ̶̜̀̋͑̂̈͒͘h̶̢͓̩̮̃ą̵̛̲͉͎̺̼̞̪̈́̃t̶̡͉̫͊̉̑͋̀͆ ̶̢͚͇͖̼͔̣̻͔̉̉̽͒̍̀͌ä̸̖̼̜͍̞̦́͂͊̾̇͜͝l0̷̡̟̞̚ne ̷͓͎̬̫̥̙̙͛̃ẉ̴̝͈̠̹̖͈͇̺̾͌̏̑̀̓͂̀͠i̴̡͚͉̩̙̪̎̏̑͑͗͂͂͘ll ̷̡̧̡̞̺̖̗͚͆̈́̍̈́̈́̋͠ͅbe̶͑͐̆̓̅̍ ̵̗̭͓͎͔̫̗͘enoօ̶̀̋͑gh.̴͒͂̓" _With those final words, she wasted no time pushing off against the ground and dashing out onto the streets._

_"Wait! D-Don't-!" The girl gasped, frantically attempting to scramble to her feet only to slip and collapse back to the ground in a fruitless attempt. She grit her teeth, hissing at the feeling of gravel and concrete tearing through her thin stockings and the surface layer of her knee caps. Pushing the stinging pain aside for a moment, she peered up hopelessly, watching as her friend's silhouette vanished into the fading darkness, far beyond her reach. _

"Ꭹ̵̫̂̐͆̿5̶̧̧̨̤͎͔̠̦͚͗̇̎͊͆̍̏͂̕Ꮙ̸̨̜͍̜͇͋͌̈́̊͑̕͜Ꮇ̵̢̡͎͖͐̍̔̎̄̐9̸͚̮̘͙̮̹͍̝̠̎̕͜i̵̢̛̼͍̱̎!̶̦̟̫͙̥͖̹͐͛̍́͌̚"

_The last thing she could remember was letting out a shrill scream of her friend's name. _

>

>

>

//01000101 01111000 01100101 01100011 01110101 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01001101 01100101 01101101 01101111 01110010 01111001 00100000 01010111 01101001 01110000 01100101 00111010 00100000 01001101 01100101 01101101 01101111 01110010 01111001 00100000 01000011 01101111 01100100 01100101 00100000 00110001 00110001 00110000 00110011 00110111//

>_Complete_

** _***_ **

A young man approached the figure of a woman from behind, holding what seemed to be a clipboard in his arms. "Hey." He called out to her, staring at her unmoving backside with a complicated expression. "The cameras and participants are now in place; we are ready to begin." He informed calmly.

"Very well, then." The woman nodded, not even sparing the man a second glance. She pushed up her glasses, allowing them to reflect the many displays that laid out ahead of her before letting out a chuckle. 

"Let us commence, Project: Danganronpa."


	2. Chapter 1 || Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 'Oh my' is literally her saying 'Ara ara.'

_-Chapter 1-_

**Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles**

At the sound of faint tapping in the distance, she slowly began to stir from her deep sleep. Reaching up an arm, she attempted to rub her eyes groggily only to find them firmly constricted at her sides by a seemingly invisible force. "Huh?!" Immediately, her eyes shot wide open as her body finally began to register the creeping chill that had been burning into her skin for as long as she could remember. "What the...?!" She let out a gasp, finding herself trapped inside a metal box, with nothing but small thin slots that peered to what seemed to be a science lab of some sort. 

"Goodness gracious, it's freezing in here." She remarked, subconsciously raising her shoulders and wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to provide herself what little warmth her fluffy lolita-style dress could offer. Extending a leg outward, she attempted to kick down the door to no avail. They could do nothing but gentle tap the surface of the cold hard metal; it seemed like her legs were too stiff and weak from the cold. 

A wave of panic slowly began to settle in as the worst-case scenario came to mind. "Hello?" She called out, hot breath creating clouds of mist as it collided with the chilling air that surrounded her.

Silence.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" She tried again, reaching a hand up to bang against the metal door, hoping it'd garner some kind of attention.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance as a shadow before at the science lab door. "Hey, is somebody in there?" She could hear a man call out. His voice was smooth like silk, almost serene.

"Yes! Please help me out of here!"

"Hang on." A small jingling could be heard as the stranger fiddled with the doorknob, before swinging open to reveal a relatively good-looking young man with hair the colour of matcha. His green eyes swept across the room before spotting the closed locker at the back of the lab. "Woah, there." He gasped, swiftly weaving his way through the classroom and opening the locker door. "What were you doing in there?" He asked in a semi-joking tone, suddenly registering the intense chill within the science lab as he began to rub his forearms in reflex.

"I-I don't know..." Stepping out of the metal locker, the girl shook her head as she spoke through her chattering teeth. "W-When I woke up, I was a-already stuck in there..."

The young man kept a hand out, ready to catch her any second in case she was to take a tumble through her staggering steps. "Let me guess," He hummed. "You don't remember how you got here, right?"

The girl's dark violet eyes flickered up at his statement. In her desperation to get out of that locker, she realized she never got the time to take a good look at him. He seemed to be a high school student, just like her, though he was quite a bit taller, almost a foot taller than her. Though that didn't seem to be too high of a bar to pass, seeing as she only stood at a mere four foot eleven. He was also quite handsome, with thick eyelashes, delicate facial features and long bangs that cover the majority of his forehead. He almost looked like a playboy-type character straight out of a teen drama.

Noticing that the small girl had been dazed out for an abnormal amount of time, the young man waved his hand as if to recapture her attention. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine." Swiftly recomposing herself, the girl replied apologetically. "And no, I don't remember. Do you happen to know where we are?"

"Ah, about that-"

"Rise and Shine, Ursine!" Cutting off the man's words, a collective of five voices let out a cheer in unison. Then as if it were a magic trick, five bears of red, pink, green, yellow and blue all appeared within the science lab through a puff of smoke. 

"Speaking of the devil." The young man murmured, eyes locked on the five bears.

"Huh? What...?!" The girl stammered, nearly tripping on her own feet as she staggered backwards.

"Finally! The last one is awake!" The pink bear clapped its hands together in excitement, its design and voice suggesting that she was the only female of the group.

"That makes seventeen, doesn't it?" The red bear noted, arms crossed before his chest as his little head nodded along proudly.

"Seventeen?" The small girl's eyes rounded slightly. "What are you talking about? And how are you teddy bears able to move around like that?" She questioned.

"FOR THE LAST TIME! We're teddy bears, not Monokubs!" The blue bear yelled, raising its mini-electric guitar over his head as if he were about to hurl it towards her. 

"Youse are saying that backwards again, Monokid." The yellow bear corrected, readjusting its thick-rimmed glasses.

"WE'RE MONOKUBS, NOT TEDDY BEARS!!" The blue bear named Monokid tried again.

"There we go." The red bear hummed.

"Monokubs...?" Repeating the unfamiliar phrase under her breath, she blinked. "I don't follow."

"Why aren't you following?" The blue bear cooed. "Do we need to put you on a leash so you'll follow us around like our little PET?!"

The girl's eyes widened for a split second at the bear's statement, only to melt into an unreadable expression as a honeyed smile tugged at her lips. "Oh my, what a vulgar thing to assume." She chuckled.

"Y-Yeah, how vulgar!" The pink bear gasped.

"I don't think that's what she meant at all." Cutting into the estranged conversation, the young man let out an awkward laughed. "She's most likely just confused about where we are right now, so could you please explain to her?" He requested the five.

"Hmm... Well, this is Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles." The red bear informed.

"Gifted Juveniles...?" The girl cocked her head to the side.

"Jeez, if youse really want to go figure it out, youse should put those legs to use and start investigating the school." The yellow bear grumbled in annoyance.

As if voicing his agreement, the blue bear strummed his electric guitar in one dramatic motion. "And get the HELL outta this room! Cause it's fuckin' COLD!" He spat at the two as another cloud of smoke appeared.

"So long! Bear-well!"

With that ridiculous farewell, the bears were gone, leaving the small girl and young man alone in the science lab once more. 

Resting his hands on his hips, the man sighed. "That's the gist of it." 

"In other words, you don't know either." She stated, gaze dropping to a downcast as she tucked a strand of her silver hair behind her ear.

"I asked the others; they don't seem to remember either." He shrugged.

"Everyone?"

"Yeah. Including you, there are seventeen of us, and it's like we all have amnesia or something." He affirmed, absently reaching up to wipe away the few wisps of his green hair that made their way in front of his eyes before noticing of the girl's tense and shivering figure. He couldn't help but huff out a wry smile. "But before we talk about this, let's get you out into the hallway. The Monokubs do make a point; it's much warmer out there compared to here." He suggested, making his way towards the science lab door.

With no reason to refuse, the girl complied as she began dragging her stiff body out of the science lab. Just as her limbs started to relax in the much warmer air of what seemed to be an overgrown and mossy school hallway, the sound of more footsteps quickly approaching prompted her and the young man to turn their heads.

Further down the corridor, two other teenagers, a girl and boy, ran towards them at a jogging pace. The girl had blonde-hair that trailed down to her upper back as well as a pair of lavender-coloured eyes. She couldn't help but notice an overall music-like theme to her outfit, with the white clef note pins in her hair and the musical note design to her skirt. The boy was a little shorter than the blonde, but still much taller than her. He had a head of dark blue hair and greyish eyes that seemed to be obscured by a black cap that complimented the generally dark theme of his outfit.

"Oh, hey there, were you two kidnapped too?" The young man with green hair waved at the pair in a friendly manner as they slowly came to a stop before them. "Well, you both look well. That's good. It's more than she could say." He chuckled, gesturing the small girl that was still shivering next to him like a leaf.

"Oh my gosh, you look so pale!" The blonde girl gasped worriedly, lowering her body and bringing herself to eye level with the silver-haired girl. "What happened to you?!"

"I woke up in the freezing science lab," She explained. "But I'm alright now, please don't worry about me."

"The science lab?" The boy repeated in a mutter, his gaze lingering to the ground as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That sounds horrible." The blonde girl whispered with furrow brows only to gasp lightly as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, we haven't introduced ourselves to either of you. I'm Kaede Akamatsu, and I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you." She announced as her posture straightened a little, clearly holding pride in her ultimate talent.

"O-Oh, uh, I'm... Shuichi Saihara. They call me the Ultimate Detective." The boy next to her muttered bashfully, bringing his cap lower in an attempt to cover his face a little more.

"Oh my," Covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers, the girl let out a gasp. "You're both Ultimate students as well?"

"Everyone here seems to be one." The young man revealed. "Ah well, except for me since I can't seem to remember my Ultimate talent at the moment." He laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Huh? You can't remember your Ultimate talent?!" Kaede tensed in shock.

"Doesn't seem like it, but I promise I'm not a bad guy." He reassured in an overly-relaxed voice before flashing a calm smile. "My name is Rantaro Amami, nice to meet ya."

Noticing how she was the only one present who hasn't introduced herself yet, the smaller girl swiftly cleared her throat. "I suppose I should also introduce myself as well." She said, reaching out to grab both ends of her dress. "My name is Choju Haneoka, and I'm the Ultimate Songstress. It's a pleasure to meet you all." As she introduced herself, Choju attempted to lower her head in an elegant curtsy only for it to grow rather stiff due to the lingering chill that coursed through her veins.

"Choju Haneoka...?" Shuichi stilled at her words; his eyes grew wide with surprise. "Really? As in Choju Haneoka of the Hoshino Opera Company?"

"Oh my, have you heard of me?" Choju chuckled, covering her lips with the tips of her fingers. "I'm flattered."

"Hoshino Opera Company?" Kaede cocked her head to the side.

"I've read it in the newspapers; it's a renowned Opera Company in our country," Shuichi explained. "If I remember correctly, Choju was scouted by them at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks as their top act. I've heard she's even performed overseas a few times."

"That's amazing!" Kaede exclaimed in amazement as she cupped her hands before her chest. "So, you're like a celebrity, right?" She asked, eyes twinkling with admiration.

"I wouldn't say celebrity, but I suppose I am what one would consider 'famous.'" The songstress smiled softly. "Though there have been quite a few scandals surrounding my fanbase recently." She admitted, cover her mouth with the hem of her sleeves as her gaze shifted to the side. 

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, the majority of her fans are men much older than her," Shuichi described. "So there have been scandals surrounding whether or not her fame is really based on her talent, or..." His voice trailed off as he leaned in closer to Kaede, almost as if he didn't want the girl before them overhearing their conversation.

Kaede's face immediately turned red once she realized what the gossip was implying. "W-What?!" She jumped back. "Ignore those stupid rumours, Choju! I'm sure your voice is absolutely beautiful!" She immediately shouted, clutching her hands before her chest as if they displayed her most utmost sincerity. 

"Thank you for saying that, Kaede." Choju bowed her head as if to express her thanks. "In fact, I'd love to perform for you once we get out of here, just to personally disprove that theory." She giggled airily.

"Right! We need to find a way out of here!" The blonde gasped.

Rantaro's brows knitted together. "...You really think it's going to be that easy?" He questioned; his previously friendly and carefree aura took a serious turn as a dark look crossed his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shuichi asked reluctantly.

"Nothin'. Just a feeling." Brushing off the previous tone shift, Rantaro shrugged before turning his attention back to the smaller girl beside him. "But, I will suggest that you should go rest in the dining hall." He said.

"I agree, you still look pretty pale from being in the cold for so long." Kaede nodded along.

"I'll take her to the dining hall then," Rantaro offered.

"Huh? But what about finding a way out?" Choju tilted her head slightly, brows furrowing with worry.

"Just leave that to us!" The pianist announced, lifting both of her arms and striking a power pose.

Hearing her words of reassurance, Choju's violet eyes rounded a little before softening. "I see." She hummed as the corners of her lips tugged into an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for not being much help."

"Don't worry about it." With a final smile, Kaede spun on the ball of her foot as she continued down the other end of the hall. "Let's go, Shuichi!" She cheered.

"Ah, alright." 

"Good luck to both of you," Rantaro waved.

"I'll be counting on you guys," Choju chimed before turning to follow Rantaro down the other end of the corridor, making their way towards a set of red double doors covered by what seemed to be some overgrown moss.

Hearing the songstress's melodious voice echo in the air, Shuichi halted in his tracks. Peering over his shoulder, he studied the silhouette of the small, silver-haired girl that walked alongside Rantaro's much taller figure. 

There was something unsettling about her, and the detective couldn't quite put his finger on it. Long, glossy hair. Pearly, flawless skin. Her symmetrical face and decorative clothing resembled that of a doll's rather than human. Everything from her beauty to her sweet and gentle personality was as expected of the songstress who captured the hearts of many.

But for some reason, her striking smile never seemed to reach her amethyst-coloured eyes. 

"Shuichi?" Kaede called out a little further behind him.

"C-Coming!"

_He was probably just imagining it._

** _***_ **

As Choju sat in the dining hall, she had managed to meet quite a few of the other Ultimate Students as they came and went. So far, she had counted a total of thirteen of seventeen students, including herself, Kaede, Shuichi and Rantaro. The students she had gotten acquainted with so far were: Tenko Chabashira - the Ultimate Aikido Master, Himiko Yumeno - the Ultimate 'Mage' as she referred herself as, Angie Yonaga - the Ultimate Artist, Korekiyo Shinguchi - the Ultimate Anthropologist, Gonta Gokuhara - the Ultimate Entomologist, Kirumi Tojo - the Ultimate Maid, Ryoma Hoshi - the Ultimate Tennis Pro, Miu Iruma - the Ultimate inventor and Kaito Momota - the Ultimate Astronaut. 

Finishing the last bits of her warm tea Kirumi had brewed while she was here, Choju thought a little more about their current situation. Though she hasn't seen it for herself yet, the other students have updated her of their findings once they've heard about her circumstances. Apparently, the 'Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles' consists not only of the overgrown school building she was currently in but also an entire outdoor area leading to a dormitory, gardens and many other incomplete buildings. All of which were encased in a bird-cage like glass-dome. Other than the science lab, the school building also consisted of several other places. Such as room-temperature classrooms the other students woke-up in, a warehouse, a library, a game room, a gym and unopened areas called the 'Ultimate Research Labs.'

While she was trying to organize her thoughts on the situation, she had also found a small tablet-like device hidden on the inside of her dress labelled as a 'Monopad.' From what she could tell, it seemed to work like a student handbook. It consists of all of her personal information as well as the others, seeing as they automatically fill out as she meets them. 

It looks like she still has four people left to meet.

Placing her teacup back down on its saucer, she stood up from her seat at the dining table.

"Huh? Are you leaving, Choju?" Tenko asked.

The songstress nodded. "I'm feeling much better now, so I figured I'd chip in and try to find an exit along with everyone else as well." She said, dusting off her dress a little.

"Nyeeh, I healed you up with my magic... You can go now." Himiko said in her usual flat tone. 

"I see, so that's why I feel better!" Clapping her hands together with glistening eyes, Choju chirped with an air of sincerity. "Thank you so much, Himiko! Well then, if you'll both excuse me." Then with a quick bow and a wave, she left the dining hall. However, just as she was rounding the corner towards the main hallway, she came face to face before a girl with red eyes and long dark brown hair, held into two low pigtails by two red scrunchies. 

"Oh!" Choju gasped, startled by the stranger's sudden appearance. 

For a moment there, the two girls simply stared at each other as an uncomfortable silence loomed between them. The stranger's red eyes swept up and down, examining the songstress. Her brows furrowed for a brief second before relaxing, seeming to dawn a poker face of some sort.

Choju flashed a warm smile at the girl. "Hello, are you an Ultimate student as well?" She asked politely.

The girl didn't respond.

"Yoo-hoo, are you there?" Choju tried again, tilting her body sideways in hopes of popping into the stranger's downcasted eyes.

"I am." The brunette responded, averting her gaze in a mixture of avoidance and irritation.

"I see." Figuring that she wasn't the type to speak out, the silver-haired girl opted to introduce herself first. "My name is Choju Haneoka, and I'm the Ultimate Songstress. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said, lips curling into a sweet smile.

"Maki Harukawa." After a few seconds of silence, the brunette murmured. "Ultimate Child Caregiver." She introduced, still not meeting her gaze.

"The Ultimate Child Caregiver...?" Choju repeated thoughtfully as her eyes brightened. "What a splendid talent! It's a pleasure to meet you, Maki-" However, just as she reached out her hand to offer a handshake of friendship, the sound of a crisp slap resonated through the suffocating air. 

Maki had slapped her hand away. 

"Eh?" Choju sounded.

"I don't want anything to do with you," Maki stated firmly, a hint of hostility lacing her tone as she turned on the ball of her foot, her twintails trailing behind her movements. "And don't address me so familiarly." She said before continuing down the way she came from, leaving Choju alone in the messy, plant-infested hallway.

Choju blinked a few times as her gaze darted between her stinging hand and the distancing backside of the supposed child caregiver. "Oh my, what a strange girl." She chuckled, remarking to no one in particular.

** _***_ **

Exploring the school building alone was no small feat; the place seemed huge, with some areas still being locked up due to construction, according to the Monokubs. As Choju wandered around aimlessly in search of both a clue towards the exit as well as the three remaining students she's yet to meet, she heard the set of hasty footsteps quite a distance away. She turned her head towards the shuffling, spotting a white tuff of hair sticking out around the corner down the hallway to her right.

"Is someone there?" She called out to the stranger.

"Don't come any closer, Kokichi!" An unfamiliar voice shouted back as the tuff of hair flinched. "I'll see you in court for all of the robophobic comments you've made about me in the last few hours!" He declared. 

Amused by his words, a small playful smile surfaced on Choju's lips as she rose to her tiptoes and began creeping towards the figure. "Pardon?" Once she was close enough, she popped her head around the corner with a teasing grin, spotting a boy with what seemed to be an entirely mechanical body. He had a pair of aquamarine eyes and spiky white hair, a part of which sticking straight up like an antenna of sorts.

"Ahh!" The boy jumped back in surprise at the sight of her, nearly tripping over his feet. "O-Oh... I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." He confessed.

"No, it's alright. I apologize for scaring you." Choju giggled into her sleeve, fully stepping around the corner before lifting both ends of her skirt once more. "My name is Choju Haneoka. I'm the Ultimate Songstress. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The boy seemed to relax a little at her friendly demeanour. "I see." He smiled. "My name is K1-B0, but please address me as Keebo. I'm the Ultimate Robot. Nice to meet you too, Choju." He announced enthusiastically as he stuck a hand out towards her. 

Choju, on the other hand, seemed to be focused on something else entirely. "You're a robot?!" She exclaimed, reaching forth to grab Keebo's metal hand as she leaned in closer, starry-eyed. "How are you functioning right now? Are you just like the rest of us?" She questioned, voice laced with admiration and excitement.

"Y-Yes. I was created by Professor Idabashi, the leading authority in the field of robotics." Keebo stammered, inching his face backward bashfully as he noticed how close the songstress was getting. "He installed a strong AI within me, capable of learning and maturing like a human brain. The professor raised me like I was his own child and taught me many things, then finally enrolled me in high school, just like the rest of you." He explained. "I'm fully powered by electricity, too, so it's completely harmless towards the environment." He added proudly.

"Oh my, that's absolutely amazing!" Cupping her hands before her chest, Choju let out a dreamy sigh as the smile on her cheeks brightened even further. She was about to open her mouth and completely bombard the robot with even more questions when another set of rushing footsteps caught both of their attentions. From the sounds of it, whoever running was really fast.

"Keeboy~" A boy's voice echoed down the hallway. "Where are you? Come out, come out wherever you are~" He sang, causing Keebo to immediately tense up once again.

"Uh oh! Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I must be leaving now!" With a gasp, Keebo turned on his heel in preparation to bolt down the left hall. "I'm really glad you weren't a robophobe like some of these people. I'll see you around! Please don't tell him which way I went!" And with that, he took off, scurrying away as if his life depended on it. 

Choju blinked a few times, a little curious by what he meant until she sensed an overwhelming force charging towards her at an alarming speed. The next thing she knew, she fell backwards, landing on the ground as a jolt of pain shot up her spine upon impact. 

"Oww..." She whined, rubbing her lower back as her eyes trailed up to see what in the world had knocked her over. 

It seemed that the boy that rammed into her had also fallen backwards, sitting not far before her as he rubbed his forehead in pain. From what she could tell, he was not much taller than her. His facial features were somewhat refined for someone his age and size, giving off an innocent look to his overall appearance. His eyes were a soft lavender colour, and his hair was a shade of dark purple that faded into magenta at the tips, barely reaching his shoulders.

"Aw man!" He grumbled, puffing out his cheeks as he reached down to dust off his white uniform. "Just when I was about to grab him and touch his robot body too!"

Choju's eyes widened for a split second before crinkling. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." She said.

At her words, the boy finally glanced up as he studied her with an unreadable expression. "Why are you apologizing?" He inquired, tapping an index finger against his chin as he tilted his head to the side. "I never said it was your fault."

Choju flinched. "O-Oh, I suppose-"

"Then again, it's because of you I lost sight of that robot." Cutting her off mid-sentence, the purple-haired boy stated as he extended his hand out. "So maybe it is your fault, after all. Nishishi~"

For a few seconds, Choju remained silent as her gaze alternated between the boy and his hand. Then with a honeyed smile, she accepted his offer and let him help her up. "What's your name?" She asked.

"I'm Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader!" The boy introduced himself with an air of child-like enthusiasm.

"Ultimate... Supreme Leader?"

"Yep!" He nodded curtly. "I'm the supreme leader of an evil secret organization with over 10,000 members!"

Choju gasped. "10,000 members?" She repeated in awe, covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers. "That's quite-"

"But then I also could be lying." Kokichi interrupted, a mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. "I am a liar, after all." He stated.

Choju didn't react at all to his round-about ways of speaking. Instead, her constant smile continued to remain etched on her cheeks as she stared directly into Kokichi's lavender-coloured eyes. "I see." She said.

Bothered by her passive response, Kokichi let out a groan. "Jeez, you're no fun at all! Even Keeboy is more interesting than you!" He pouted.

"Hm? Why is that?" Choju tilted her head to the side.

"For one, you haven't even told me your name yet." The boy pointed out with a readied look. "It's pretty rude to keep your Supreme Leader waiting, don't you think?" He questioned innocently. 

"Oh my, I suppose that is correct." She noted. Then with one fluid motion, the silver-haired girl reached out for the corners of her dress and lowered her head in a routined curtsy. "My name is Choju Haneoka. I'm the Ultimate Songstress. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kokichi." She stated, lifting to meet his gaze with a serene look in her eyes. 

Kokichi narrowed his eyes in turn, studying the girl for a split second. "Yep, just as I thought." He sighed as he peered down at his nails, appearing rather uninterested in the subject. "Even your talent is boooooring."

"Well, I am a songstress." She pointed out. "We don't do very much."

"Really?" Pressing a finger to his lips, Kokichi's eyes rounded with wonder. "Because I have a feeling you're lying, Choju-chan." He remarked.

It took the songstress a moment to gather her response, though her smile never faltered even in the face of that sudden tone shift. "Whatever are you talking about?" She asked, resting her hands on the skirt of her dress as she tilted her head to the side.

Kokichi didn't answer, instead opting to sound out his signature laugh. "Nishishi~ Well, I should be going now. I still have a robot to chase!" He chimed, skipping down the hallway before realizing something. "By the way," He glanced over his shoulder. "Did you see which way Keeboy ran off to?"

"As much as I would like to, Keebo has left me specific instructions not to tell you which way he went." Choju hummed, seeming a little troubled. 

"Jeez, you sure are stupid." Kokichi teased in a playful tone. "Talking isn't the only way you can tell me, you know?" He reminded keenly.

It took a moment for Choju to understand what he was implying, but once she did, her eyes brightened with a rush of excitement. "I see." She giggled. "Well then," Lifting her finger, she gestured towards the right hall secretively.

"Nishishi, thanks~" With another laugh, Kokichi began to run off in the direction she indicated. "Oh and by the way, Choju-chan." He called out to her with a hand cupped around his mouth. "I was lying when I said you were boring and stupid. I get the feeling you might be very interesting, after all." He confessed cheekily before bolting down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. 

As Choju stood by herself at the crossroad of corridors, she heard the sound of her Monopad beep as it had done after she met with the various other students. Pulling out the electronic tablet, she peered down at the newly added profile of the Ultimate Supreme Leader as a small smile curved on her lips.

"I wonder when will he figure out?" She murmured, violet orbs flickering upward towards the direction the boy disappeared towards - the exact opposite direction of which Keebo went.

** _***_ **

Not long after parting ways with Keebo and Kokichi, Choju continued to search throughout the Academy for the final student she has yet to meet. However, before she could do so, the monitors spread out around the schools lit to life with the self-proclaimed Monokubs calling for all the students to gather within the gym for a so-called 'Opening Ceremony.' 

By the time she arrived at the designated spot, several other students were already present, talking among themselves as they waited for the others. Choju glanced around, trying to spot the final student she needed to meet when a familiar figure pointed at her from across the gym.

"Ah! Choju-chan!" Kokichi called out with a frown as he stalked up to her. "You've got some balls lyin' to me." He stated, eyes narrowing as his previous high-pitched voice took a low and severe turn. 

Even in the face of his chilling accusation, Choju's smile remained. "Whatever are you talking about?" She asked innocently.

"I looked all over the place in the direction you sent me off in, and I couldn't find Keeboy anywhere!" The supreme leader complained. "Now, I'm suuuper tired and suuuper mad at you."

"Oh my, I truly apologize for that." Choju gasped with worry. "But couldn't it be because you were too slow, Kokichi? I mean, Keebo is a robot. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for him to have super speed, wouldn't it?" She suggested, averting her eyes to the side thoughtfully. 

Kokichi remained silent for a few moments, keeping his pressuring gaze glued to the songstress as if he were gauging for some form of reaction. Choju, on the other hand, never cracked, staring straight back into his eyes as her usual beaming self.

"Hmm, I guess that wouldn't be too far of a stretch." After a few long seconds, he decided to drop the subject momentarily as his tense expression returned to its usual playful grin. "But don't think you're off the hook just yet, Little Miss Songstress." He declared before noticing Keebo step into the gym alongside Gonta. "Hey, Keeboy! Do you have some kind of super-speed abilities?" He called out energetically.

"I-I don't have that function!"

Watching as the purple-haired boy bounce off to continue his harassment of the poor robot, Choju suddenly felt a soft tap on her shoulder, followed by a soft, feminine voice saying: "Excuse me?"

Curious and drawn by the unfamiliar voice, Choju spun on her heel as she came face to face with a tall and slender young woman with long azure hair that trailed down to her knees. She was dressed in a simple school uniform, a white dress shirt, a red ribbon, as well as a black blazer and skirt. "Yes-" She was about to ask for the stranger's name only to be cut off as her teal eyes lit up a mixture of amazement and adoration behind her rimless glasses.

"Oh my goodness, you're even more adorable from the front!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands together in excitement. 

"Eh?"

Ignoring her state-of-confusion, the blue-haired girl continued to ramble on. "When I saw you from behind, the first thing I thought of was how many different cosplays your height and hair colour could help you pull off, but once I saw your face, I got another flash of inspiration!" She cooed. "You have to let me make some outfits for you sometime around. I promise they'll look amazing on you!"

Choju blinked as her brain attempted to process what this girl was saying a mile a minute with no avail. "S-Sorry, who are you again?" She asked, trying to reel the conversation back a little. 

"Huh?" The girl's eyes rounded a little. "Oh, I guess I never introduced myself. That's just plain rude of me, isn't it?" She swiftly cleared her throat, quickly recomposing herself. "My name is Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer." She introduced, resting a hand to her hip.

"I see, so you're a cosplayer." Choju gasped. 

"Are you surprised?" She chuckled. "I get that a lot since I'm so plain."

"No, not at all. Rather, I believe you are perfect for the role." Waving her hands, Choju quickly rejected the notion before calmly resting her hands on the skirt of her dress. "You hold so much passion for the art form; it's honestly quite admirable." She elaborated before moving on to introduce herself as well. "My name is Choju Haneoka. I'm also known as the Ultimate Songstress. I hope we can get along, Tsumugi." Eyes crinkling softly, she offered a hand towards the cosplayer.

Tsumugi stared down at Choju's smaller palm, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before breaking into a tender smile of her own. "I'm nowhere near as glamorous as you, but I hope we can get along too, Choju." She said, taking the songstress's hand with a gentle shake. 

Just as the two girls were letting go, the set of double doors opened one final time to reveal Kaede and Shuichi entering, thus officially gathering all seventeen students accounted for within the gymnasium.

"It's pretty spectacular seeing seventeen ultimates all gathered in one place," Kaito remarked as he scanned the group.

"Nyeeeh... what's going to happen to us?" Himiko grumbled. "I bet it's going to be a big pain..."

"Himiko! You can use your amazing powers and stuff, right!? You're a psychic, right? Surely we'll be safe because of you!" Tenko praised, swinging her arms excitedly.

"I'm not a psychic; I'm a mage." The redhead pointed out. 

"Pardon me, but we need to be on our guard," Keebo spoke out cautiously. "We do not know if and when danger will strike." He reminded. 

"Don't worry about it! Just leave it to me!" Kaito grinned, slamming his fist into an open palm. "If those teddy bears show themselves again, I'll kick all their asses!" He declared confidently.

Choju's eyes rounded a little as she heard a strange buzz ringing within the distance. "Hm?" She sounded, glancing around curiously.

"What's wrong?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow at her odd behaviour. 

"It's nothing." She shook her head. "I feel like I hear something strange, that's all,"

"Ah, I hear it too," Tsugumi nodded, zoning out a little in an attempt to focus on the foreign sound. "It sounds like an engine from a robot anime-"

"Rise and shine, Ursine!" Almost as if on cue, five large machines, coincidentally painted in each of the Monokubs signature colours, dropped down from the ceiling, causing the floor beneath them to rumble. Immediately, the students in the gym broke into a mass panic as cries and shouts began to flood the area.

"Kyahhh!" Tsumugi let out a scream in terror as she clutched onto Choju - who stiffened as she caught sight of the terrifying machines. Instinctively, the songstress extended an arm out in an attempt to shield the quivering cosplayer who seemed as if she was on the verge of fainting at any second. 

"Everyone, behind Gonta! Gonta use big body to protect everyone!" The entomologist quickly stood out, trying his best to stand before everyone despite his own trembling figure.

"Wh-What are these things?!" Tenko shouted, hopping back into a tense fighting stance. 

Kokichi, on the other hand, didn't seem phased at all. "Whooaaaaaaaaaa!!! These things are so cool!" He exclaimed, eyes twinkling with wonder. 

"These are Exisals—highly mobile, bipedal weapons platforms!" The blue machine piloted by Monokid explained arrogantly. "There's a lot of pride on these, too!"

Ignoring the bear's words, Maki grumbled. "Hey, didn't someone say they would 'kick all their asses'?" She reminded, shooting Kaito a questioning glare.

"N-No one told me about these!" The astronaut reasoned nervously.

"Everyone, calm down." Stepping forth with an eerily calm aura, Rantaro spoke in his smooth voice. "There's no need to panic. If they were going to kill us, they would've done so a long time ago." He reminded, before casually making his way towards one of the five exisals, knocking on the hard metal as if it were just another door in his neighbourhood. "So, what do you want from us?" He asked. "You clearly want something, that's what the guns are for, right? Well, you have our full attention. So make your demands." He stated, crossed his arms over his chest.

"Huh. Well, aren't you a wiseguy?" Monokid spat. "Well then, I'll start us off! What we want you to do is REALLY EXCITING! I'm gonna say it! You ready?!" He cleared his throat. "This is-"

"A-KILLING-GAME." The green bear piloting its matching exisal, Monodam finished, speaking for the first time in his monotonous voice.

"W-What?" Kaede's eyes widened. 

"MONODAM! You stole my fuckin' line!" Monokid exploded, the sound of his guitar strumming wildly could be heard from the exisal speakers. 

"Um, what'd he just say?" Tenko asked awkwardly as she twidled with her fingers. 

"If I heard correctly, he said-"

"A-KILLING-GAME," Monodam repeated in confirmation.

"Aaah! He said it again!" Monotaro, the red bear within its matching exisal, groaned. 

"JEEEZ! I'm really fuckin' pissed!" The blue exisal snapped as it stomped towards the green one menacingly. "I'm gonna break your Exisal, Monodam!" He roared.

"Are you fucking serious?!" Miu began to panic, backing away shakily. "Are you gonna do it right here?! Isn't that super dangerous?!"

"Miu's right." Keebo agreed, his body already shifting towards the gymnasium door. "Everyone, let's get out of here!" He directed.

Before anyone could take a step towards the exit, however, a new voice echoed throughout the area. "Now, now, now... My cute little cubs, you gotta knock off this awful fighting." Almost immediately, the Monokubs seized their infighting and hopped out of their exisals, scanning around the room excitedly.

"Father?! Father, is that you?"

"PAPA KUMA!"

"Daddy? Where are you, daddy?" The pink bear, Monophanie, called out hopefully.

Without warning, the lights within the room simultaneously shut off, leaving the seventeen teenagers in the pitch darkness. Choju stood her ground, squinting her eyes in the hopes of adjusting them to the new lighting with no avail. 

Then at the front of a gym, a stream of golden light shone from above as a monochrome bear hopped up into the air before landing on the stage with a permanent grin etched onto its face. Its whole face and body were divided by the center into two parts, resembling a Yin-Yang symbol of sorts. Its right side was coloured white with the classic expression of a teddy bear, while its left side was painted black and wore a much more sinister appearance. "I am the god of this new world, and the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy!" He announced in a high-pitched voice. "The one, the only Monokuma! Nice to meetcha!"

"What is this...?" Kaede stammered, her face reflecting a mixture of horror and confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Another teddy bear has appeared..." Tsumugi spoke, the blood drained from her face.

"It doesn't look like just any other teddy bear," Korekiyo noted grimly. "I can sense despair and madness swirling in that cursed thing."

"Woah, Woah, Woah!" Monokuma waved his hands. "First of all, I'm not a teddy bear; we went over this! I'm Monokuma!" He snarled. "And show some respect, because I'm the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!"

"Headmaster?" Maki raised a questioning brow.

"By the looks of its movement and talking, it seems you have the same type of AI that's inside of me. A self-learning robot AI..." Keebo analyzed.

"Self-learning robot AIs, bipedal weapons platforms..." Ryoma murmured, huffing out a puff of smoke. "This is turning into quite the story." He noted. 

"Well, that may be, but what I'm worried about is this 'killing game' you mentioned." Rantaro asserted, eyeing Monokuma and the Monokubs cautiously. "What exactly does that mean?" He questioned. 

"Well, that's not really difficult to understand, is it?" Monokuma shrugged. "I want you bastards with your Ultimate-level talents to participate in a killing game!"

The room fell dead quiet as each of the students found difficulty processing the bear's words. Then, Kaede's voice broke the silence.

"K-Killing game...? Us?" 

As if that were the trigger of something, the gym immediately began to descend and spiral into absolute chaos as each of the Ultimates raced to voice their protests and concerns. 

"Please stop with these jokes!" Keebo shouted. "Why would we agree to participate in a killing game?!"

"Huh? You guys don't wanna do it?" Monokuma tilted his head innocently.

"'C-Course not! Gentleman not hurt people!" Gonta declared firmly.

"But if you've looked around already, then you already know, don't you? The entire academy is surrounded by this big wall. You can't escape to the outside world." Monokuma reminded. "Plus, as long as we have the exisals, you can't defy us! Which means I hold the power of life and death over each and every one of you!" He laughed.

"If we don't want to die, we have to do it. That's what you're saying?" Rantaro narrowed his eyes, reiterating the bear's words into its simplest form.

"You gotta be kidding me! Why would friends kill each other!?" Tenko exclaimed, holding her arms out before her in a defensive pose. 

"Hm? Who said you guys were friends?" Monokuma questioned, his sadistic grin seeming creepier by the minute. "You guys aren't friends at all. You're enemies out to kill each other!" He corrected.

"If that's the case, how're we supposed to kill each other? Are you going to give us weapons?" Ryoma asked, his low voice suddenly sounding much more intimidating than it ever has been.

"What the hell man?! What are you implying?!" Kaito reprimanded. 

"Weapons? Huh? What kind of barbaric display are you envisioning?" Off-put by the notion, Monokuma began to click his tongue as his face scrunched up with disgust. "You couldn't be more wrong. Why, at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, the killing game is quite a refined, sophisticated experience! Here, the killing game is punctuated by class trials." He announced eagerly.

"Class... trials?" 

Monokuma cleared his throat, sitting tall and high on the gymnasium stage. "In the case, a murder occurs between you bastards; the survivors must participate in a class trial. The class trial is where the 'blackened' killer faces off against their 'spotless' classmates." He described. "During the class trial, you will try to deduce who the culprit is, and then vote on who to accuse. If you figure it out, and the majority of you vote correctly, only the blackened killer will receive punishment, and the rest of you will keep right on living together. But if you vote for the wrong person during the class trials," Covering his snout, the bear began to chuckle. "Then blackened gets off scot-free, and all the spotless students get punished instead!"

"In other words, you need to kill without being caught and then survive the class trials." Rantaro hummed as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Just like in the real world."

"Pardon me, but I don't believe you've explained this just yet." Choju pressed a finger to her cheek, her usual smile still gracing her lips. "What is this 'punishment' you've mentioned time and time again?"

"Simply put, it's an execution!" Monokid shouted, body shivering with what could only be excitement.

"Execution?!" Gonta repeated in disbelief. 

"If youse commit a crime, youse get punished for it." Monosuke readjusted his glasses on his snout. "That's the most basic rule of society."

"Hrk...! So cruel!" Monophanie exclaimed, appearing as if she were on the verge of throwing up.

"Well then," Clapping his paws together, Monokuma cleared his throat. "Let's get this heart-pounding killing school semester started with already! You have free rein to murder however you want! You can use any method to kill anybody you like, any way you like! You like bludgeoning? Poison? Stabbing? Blood loss? Beheading? Crushing? Suffocation? Strangling? Laughing your victim to death?! I'm fine with it all!" He declared, speaking as if what he was suggesting was nothing but a common occurrence. "At the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, you will realize your murderous potential! Seventeen talented teenage prodigies, all competing for first place in a killing game. There's no better setting for an event like this than the Ultimate Academy! Use your talents to the fullest, and bring out a pleasurable, cruel killing game!"

"Risking our lives for some silly game is absurd," Korekiyo mumbled, expression darkening behind his hat and mask.

"It doesn't seem like it'll be boring, though," Kokichi remarked calmly.

"T-This has to be a lie..." Tsumugi, on the other hand, looked as if she was going to collapse at any moment. "It's... a lie, right?" She muttered as her shaking grip tightened around Choju's arm. 

Amid the panicking students, one clear voice stood above the rest. 

"Wait!" Kaede shouted, her defiant tone instantly grasping everyone's attention. "We'll never participate in a killing game, that's wrong! Whatever you're planning, I won't let you get away with it!" She declared, glaring up at the robotic bears and his five children.

"Umm... K-Kaede!" Tenko called out nervously. "You probably shouldn't rashly defy that thing!" She warned. 

"No, no! I welcome her resistance!" Monokuma cooed as he threw his head back in a laugh. "That kind of defiant spirit is important to the killing game. It's fun to watch the defiant ones eventually snap and get their hands dirty! It never gets old! It's so fun and entertaining that I just get un-bear-ably pumped up! AHAHA!"

As the six bears that stood on stage roared in squealing laughter, a cloud of smoke began to gather and engulfed them from behind, leaving the seventeen students alone to their own thoughts as they stared upward in dumbfounded silence. 

As the smoke began to dissipate, revealing the emptiness of the wooden stage once more, a collective alarm echoed throughout the gymnasium. Choju felt the Monopad she kept tucked away in her dress vibrate lightly, prompting her to pull the device out as she noticed the logo of the Ultimate Academy blinking a lilac glow.

Taking it as an indication to click into it, she gently tapped the icon. 

**-REGULATIONS-**

**#1:** Students must live at the Ultimate Academy for the remainder of their foreseeable future.

**#2:** Once a murder takes place, all surviving students must participate in a class trial.

**#3:** If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.

**#4:** If the blackened is not exposed, all remaining students will be executed.

**#5:** If the blackened survives the class trial, they will graduate and re-enter the outside world.

**#6:** The killing game and class trials will continue until only two surviving students remain.

**#7:** "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. The dining hall and gymnasium are off-limits at night.

**#8:** Violence toward Monokuma, the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy, is strictly prohibited.

**#9:** Monokuma will never directly commit a murder.

**#10:** Your Monopads are very important items. Please do not damage them.

**#11:** The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more students discover a body.

**#12:** With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the campus at your discretion.

**#13:** Students who violate these rules will be immediately exterminated by the Exisals.

**#14:** The headmaster may add additional regulations to this list at any time.

Unlike the many others who began complaining and arguing over the absurdity of their circumstances, Choju maintained an overall neutral expression as she read the 'school regulations' over and over again. Her amethyst-like eyes shifted to the side momentarily, taking the opportunity to scan her surrounding students' faces. Everyone looked as if they had been collectively run over by a truck, reflecting exhaustion, astonishment, desperation, and most of all...

...complete and utter despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I believe I have mentioned this before, but this story will have a much slower and irregular update schedule. This is mostly due to university applications and my workload as a senior in high school. But at the same time, I also have an extremely itchy trigger finger for writing, which is the reason why I decided to go on with this story. I'll try my best to keep updates consistent, but please do forgive me if you guys go weeks without hearing anything from me. Right now, I am still waiting on some... assets for this story; but I couldn't just keep you guys in suspense forever, so I decided to post the first chapter. That being said, I cannot say when the next one will be up by. Sorry~!
> 
> Speaking of which, how do you guys like Choju so far? She seems like a pretty nice girl, doesn't she? I love listening to your opinions and interacting with you guys. So if you have any comments or theories about the story, don't be shy about it ♥️ 
> 
> With that, have a great day!
> 
> XOXO,
> 
> Astra


	3. Chapter 2 || The Prisoner's Dilemma

_-Chapter 2-_

**The Prisoner's Dilemma  
**   
  


"HEY, STOP FIGHTING ALREADY!" Kaede shouted as loud as she could, her voice toppling over everyone else's as the gym fell into a looming silence. "Everyone, we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. Right now is the time we need to work together!" She declared firmly, arms folding over her chest before allowing her tense expression to relax a little. "So why don't we work together and search for an exit one more time?" She proposed.

"But we looked all around that huge wall, and we couldn't find a hole, or an exit, or... anything!" Tsumugi reminded sheepishly.

"Now wait just a second," Keebo interjected. "If there's no opening in the wall, then how did we get inside these walls in the first place?" He pointed out.

"That means that there has to be an opening somewhere, and we just have to find it!" In light of this revolution, the pianist clapped her hands together happily as an optimistic beam graced her lips. "Whoever trapped us here wanted us to fight, so let's show them that we're not gonna let that happen! We're not gonna fight each other; we're gonna work together! Okay?" She paused, scanning the room only to find an eerie stillness as she realized everyone's eyes had been fixated on her for a long while now. "W-What?" She stammered. "Did I say something wrong...?"

"No, that is not the case." Kirumi shook her head, breathing out a wry smile. "It is because you are so honest and logical, you've left us with nothing else to say." She replied.

"Heh, I was gonna say the same thing, but you beat me to it." Kaito laughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "But you're exactly right! We can't give up so easily!" He grinned.

"Well then, let's all get together and look for the exit~!" Angie waved her hands up excitedly. "Atua will give us strength!"

"I must admit, I admire your spirit." Rantaro chuckled, directing his words at the Ultimate Pianist, who had unconventionally slipped into a leader-like role for the group.

"Oh, wait!" Gonta gasped, seeming as if he remembered something. "Earlier when exploring school, Gonta find manhole in grass behind school building." He stated. His words acted as a seed of hope, sprouting on the faces of the seventeen Ultimate students.

"A manhole?" Kaede's eyes widened.

The large man nodded. "Gonta peek in. See big underground passage, think may be exit." He paused for a moment before sounding an awkward laugh. "Sorry, is probably not so simple."

"Not at all. In fact, that could be what we're looking for." Choju hummed thoughtfully. "If we were transported within these walls via an underground passageway, it would certainly explain why we couldn't find any holes or entrances on the surface." She suggested.

"Either way, we must corroborate Gonta's claim at once." Kirumi asserted. "I believe it is the boiler room that's behind the school building. Gonta, please lead the way!"

The Entomologist swiftly nodded. "Okay, everyone follow Gonta!" He said proudly as he began to make his way towards the exit of the gym, everyone following close behind.

***

With help from Gonta and none from Keebo, the students managed to get the manhole cover off before descending into the darkness one by one. Per Tenko's insistence that the 'degenerate males' would peek up their skirts and dresses, the girls went first following Kaede as they descended the neon ladders.

For a few minutes, an air of tense silence engulfed the seventeen students, only filled by the sound of climbing and occasional panting. Choju pressed her lips together as she hopped down from the ladders, arriving in what seemed to be a large, dimly-lit space beneath the Ultimate Academy. The walls were made of metal, with pipes running along the sides as well as three construction hooks hanging from the ceiling. The only source of light seemed to be what was left of the natural sunlight that filtered in from the sky, shining in from the top of the manhole.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought," Ryoma said.

"What is this place?" Maki questioned, brows furrowing slightly. 

"Looks like an old factory walkway," Kirumi theorized, drawing a finger against the factory walls only to frown as she noticed the thick layer of dust that lingered on her gloves. "Perhaps a factory used to be here?"

"More importantly, look at that." Standing at the corner of the room, Rantaro piped up as he gestured a wooden sign conveniently labelled 'exit,' pointing towards a large hole in the metal walls. That's where we probably have to go." He hummed.

"That's true, but..." Shuichi's voice trailed off with a clear sense of hesitance laced within.

"We should go!" Kaede insisted eagerly. "We have nothing to lose. It might be a little bit dangerous, but we are all Ultimates here! If we all work together, we can't lose! Everything will turn out fine!" She assured, holding her hands to her chest as she rallied the students.

"Yeah... that's true." Shuichi nodded, sounding a little more sure of himself after Kaede's encouragement.

***

'This time...'

'This time...'

'This time for sure...'

Those were the words the seventeen teenagers kept repeating to themselves over and over again as they challenged the supposed 'exit.' The tunnel itself seemed like an impossible challenge on its own, with platforms that collapsed beneath their feet with any added pressure, mini bombs that detonated upon impact, growing flames that spewed from the ground below and even human-sized cages that dropped from the ceiling. No matter how many times the group kept trying, the results were all the same. Their numbers would dwindle the further they charged forth until everyone was blacked out somewhere in the darkness, then Monokuma and his cubs would step in to drag them back to the spacious area. Once everyone was awake, Kaede would give a few words of encouragement, reassuring the group that 'this was the time' before standing up and trying again.

Choju slowly drew open her heavy eyelids. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and there was an intense throbbing pain that pulsated throughout her body. She winced a little, tasting iron in her throat as she let out a series of heavy coughs. As much as she wanted to remain on the ground and allow the chilling metal to cool down her searing skin, she forced a shaky arm beneath herself and dragged herself back to her feet. Instantly, the world began to blur and spin, as if the ground was threatening to pull out beneath her. Stifling a groan, the girl pressed a hand to her forehead in an attempt to suppress the pain before turning her attention to the fading voices of her peers.

"Failed again..." Gonta grumbled.

"Damn it!" Kaito spat.

"I... can't go on..." Tsumugi panted as she knelt on the ground.

"Wait! Don't give up!" Kaede pled desperately. "This time, for sure-"

"Knock it off." Before she could begin making another one of her 'never-give-up' speeches, Kokichi interrupted her midsentence. "Kaede-chan, you can keep going if you want, but if you keep pushing it onto us, it's no different than torture." He murmured, his indigo hair shadowing over his eyes. Despite being the few that could still stand up despite that endeavour, he still didn't look any better off than the rest of them.

"T-Torture?" Kaede repeated nervously.

"You know what really hurts?" Kokichi asked in a pained voice. "Being denied the right to give up in an impossible situation. You won't let us give up, and no matter what we say, you have the moral high ground. That," He sniffled, "Doesn't that sound like torture to you? When you say we can't give up, you're not inspiring us—you're strong-arming us!" He shouted, clumsily wiping away the tears that streamed down his cheeks with the hem of his sleeve.

"I-I didn't mean it like that..."

"Hey, degenerate! Quit being so selfish!" Tenko stepped in, scowling at the boy.

"I-I'm not being selfish." Kokichi justified shakily. "The others feel the same way too."

"W-What?" Kaede stammered, swiftly turning her head towards the rest of the group to find several students wearing either uninterested or disheartened expressions. "E-Everyone?" She questioned gingerly.

"My spirit is nearly broken," Korekiyo uttered, clutching his shoulder in pain. "This hardship gnaws at me."

"Given the circumstance, the most logical course of action would be to give up," Keebo said as he curled up on the ground.

"Yeah, I feel like Hisashi Mitsui in the second half of a basketball game." Tsumugi agreed.

Despite not looking so tired herself, Maki spoke nonchalantly. "I knew this was impossible from the start." She stated.

"This bullshit is a waste of my precious time and energy." Miu clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"I can't let you all rely on my magic," Himiko muttered, wiping away the sweat at her forehead. "Besides, I don't have enough MP left."

"I'm just relieved that no one was seriously injured." Angie pressed her hands together with a bright smile. "Praise be to Atua." She cheered.

"P-Please, wait! We no can give up!" Gonta exclaimed.

"You guys! Are you really okay with not getting out of this place!?" Kaito followed-up, his loud and sudden outburst causing Choju to feel as if her world had begun to rock violently.

"We shouldn't have to push ourselves." Kokichi cooed as a sly smile began to tug at his lips. "Let's just find another way out, okay?" He hummed.

"What!?" Kaede gasped.

"You're talking about the killing game, aren't you?" Rantaro said with knitted brows, his words acting as more of a statement than a question.

"Oh, so you're interpreting it like that, huh?" Kokichi grinned, neither denying nor confirming that claim.

"Wh-What are you saying!? There's no way we can do the killing game!" Tenko immediately shouted.

"Nishishi~ Calm down, Tenko-chan." Wrapping his arms behind his head, Kokichi teased. "Want some bubble gum? You can blow some big bubbles with it." He offered cheekily.

Tenko growled under her breath. "Ohohoho, looks like this little degenerate wants his little head smashed into the ground!" She snapped back, readying her body as if she were ready to strike at any second.

"S-Stop, guys, we shouldn't be fighting-" Shuichi raised his hands, attempting to break up the argument only for a muffled 'thump' to interrupt him. Drawn by the source of the noise, everyone quickly turned their heads to find Choju collapsed on the hard metal ground once again. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her face was pale as a sheet, even her lips were barely visible as they let out shallow, uneven breaths.

"Oh my goodness!" Tsumugi let out a panicked cry as she immediately knelt down and pulled the songstress's head onto her lap for support. "She's out cold!" She exclaimed, a tone of worry flooding through her voice as many others gathered around.

"Choju, out cold?" Gonta tilted his head to the side as he attempted to process what was going on. "Then allow Gonta!" He offered with a serious expression. "Gonta big and strong, Gonta warm Choju up!"

"Nyeh, I don't think that's not what she meant..." Himiko commented.

"Please move aside," Kirumi requested, skillfully navigating through the crowd of students that have gathered around the songstress and cosplayer. "Allow me to assist her immediately."

Tsumugi nodded wordlessly, wiping away the nervous tears that threatened to fall as the maid gingerly took Choju from her lap. Everyone remained in silence, watching as the young woman pressed her index and middle finger against the girl's thin wrist, seemingly feeling for a pulse. After a few seconds, she moved to press a gloved hand against her pale cheeks and forehead, alternating between the front and back. Her brows furrowed lightly.

"Is she going to be okay?" Unable to sit through the anticipation any longer, Keebo piped up anxiously.

"Yes, she's alright." Removing her hand with a sigh of relief, Kirumi affirmed. "It seems to be a minor fever, most likely due to overexertion, that's all." She informed.

As the previously tense atmosphere began to relax, everyone's gazes slowly shifted towards Kaede.

Choju groaned as she began to stir from her body's sudden temporary shut-down. "Huh?" She squinted, turning her head to the side ever-so-slightly. "Why is everyone-"

"See, Kaede-chan?" Before she could get anything out, however, Kokichi interrupted with a frown as he pointed an accusing finger at the blonde. "You even made our sweet Choju-chan faint from exhaustion."

"I'm sorry..." Kaede whispered with a crack in her voice. "This is all my fault." She rubbed a hand against her forearm guiltily, eyes turning glossy as if tears were about to spill over at any second.

"Kaede..." Shuichi murmured.

"I-Idiot!" Kaito, on the other hand, rushed to defend the pianist. "What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault!"

"Really? Because I think it is Kaede's fault." Raising an eyebrow, Maki said harshly.

Finally catching onto what the group was talking about, Choju shifted slightly from Kirumi's grasps. "W-Wait-!" She called out weakly only for a familiar chime to cut her off midway.

_Ding Dong, Bing Bong!_

Everyone immediately turned towards the monitor located at the corner of the room, watching as it flickered to life, revealing the five Monokubs sitting on a red couch as they each held sippy cups of some sort.

Monosuke cleared his throat. "This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles," He announced.

"It is now 10 PM. Nighttime officially starts now," Monotaro continued.

"Whether you've been good or naughty, it's time to go tinkle and go to beddy-bye!" Monokid roared, loud as ever.

"The dining hall and gym are locked during nighttime," Monophanie added. "So, be careful!"

"Kyahahahahaha! Sweet dreams!"

And with the end of that questionable announcement, the screen faded to black, leaving the underground passage in complete silence. The seventeen teens exchanged glances, peering at each other as if the others' faces held the solution to their current predicament.

"For now, I suggested that we all retire to our assigned rooms at the dormitory for the night." Kirumi was the first to speak up, effectively shattering the silence that clouded over the group. "All of us need to rest and regain our energy." She stated.

"I agree." Folding his arms over his chest, Rantaro hummed. "Especially with Choju like that, there's no sense in pushing our luck."

"What?! We're stayin' there?!" Miu exclaimed, clamming up at the idea.

"It's not that bad of a room. It's better than the prison I was in, at least." Ryoma remarked cooly.

"But..." Tsumugi pressed her lips together as she began to fidget uncomfortably. "Staying in this school is a little scary." She said.

"Well, nothing we can do, but suck it up!" Kokichi grinned, having returned to his regular mischievous self. "So, what's our plan tomorrow? Since the dining hall opens at 8 AM, how about we meet there at that time?" He suggested, a few students nodding in agreement.

"Can I go to my room now?" Maki grumbled. Then, not even waiting for an answer, she made her way towards the step ladder, and she began to climb her way up, several of the others following close behind.

Kirumi let out a sigh. "With that taken care of, who would like to volunteer to carry Choju up the ladders?" She asked.

"Huh?" Choju blinked, quickly denying the notion as she waved her hands frantically. "I-I'm alright, really! I can climb up myself-"

"Nonsense, it is of utmost importance that you rest right now. A minor fever could become deadly if not properly tended for." Kirumi refuted with a stern expression.

"I agree." Pressing her hands to her chest worriedly, Tsumugi sounded. "It'd be bad if you fainted again, the stress is too much for my heart."

"Then allow Gonta!" Raising his hand, the entomologist stepped forth with a bright smile.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Gonta nodded as he readjusted the bug box strapped around his body before kneeling down. "Gonta gentleman, gentleman help friends." He beamed, offering his wide-open back to the songstress.

Choju hesitated for a second before relenting. "I see." She smiled wryly. "Then, pardon me."

Hiking her skirt up a little, she moved to climb onto Gonta's broad back, securing her arms around his neck as he wrapped a hand under the back of her knee. "Upsy-daisy." Then with little to no effort, he stood upright and began to make his way towards the neon ladders.

It felt a little strange to be so high off the ground, Choju couldn't help but marvel at the view. Her violet eyes darted around curiously, trying to take in the rushing sensation that coursed through her veins before noticing Kaede's gaze had been fixed on her for the last few moments. She peered past Kirumi and Tsumugi's heads, locking eyes with the pianist who immediately turned away with a look of guilt and embarrassment. Choju's brows furrowed slightly as her lips pressed into a thin line. As much as she wanted to call out and comfort the blonde, her words felt as if it had been lost somewhere in the back of her throat. She could only watch in silence as Kaede's grew more and more distant, finally being cut off as Gonta began to ascend the manhole ladder.

***

Night fell like a rich velvet blanket across the sky, enveloping all sense of daylight and leaving the moon as the only salvation in the darkness. Though the evening was as peaceful as it should be, no one could deny how creepy the shadowy bars that encased the academy looked against the navy sky. It almost served as a haunting memo, a reminder that they were all trapped until that outrageous event known as the 'Killing Game' begins.

"T-Thank you very much," Choju bowed her head as she hopped onto the fluffy grass sprouting beyond the grated floors of the boiler room.

"Awww, is somebody flustered?" Kokichi teased, wrapping his arms behind the back of his head as his lips curved into a bright grin.

"Well, yes." Cupping a hand to her cheek, Choju admitted bashfully. "I haven't been carried like that since I was a child, it's a little embarrassing. Was I heavy, Gonta?" She then asked.

"Not at all," The giant quickly waved his hands. "Choju was lighter than manhole cover."

"Are you not coming back to the dorms with us, Gonta?" Kirumi questioned, noting that the entomologist wasn't quite following the path towards the dorms.

"Please go on. Gonta still worried about manhole cover, will ask Kaede what to do when she comes up." He explained.

Kirumi sighed. "Very well. Tsumugi, could you please escort Choju to her room?" She requested, turning to the girl with long blue hair. "I want to patrol the area one final time tonight, but I worry she may collapse again."

"O-Okay." The cosplayer nodded.

"Hey, I can help too, you know!" Holding his hands in fists before himself, Kokichi exclaimed with a pout. "Believe it or not, I'm actually certified in taking care of people prone to fainting." He proclaimed.

"Wow! Gonta had no idea." Gonta gasped in admiration.

"That's amazing, Kokichi!" Choju chirped.

Tsumugi, on the other hand, didn't look quite as convinced as the other two. "That's another lie, isn't it?" She deadpanned.

Pressing a finger to his lips, the boy let out his signature laugh. "Who knows?" He hummed.

***

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Tsumugi asked anxiously as she stood at the doorway to Choju's room, located directly underneath the girls' side stairway towards to the second-floor. It wasn't too difficult to find, seeing as the 8-bit icons hanging above the doorframes made it extremely clear who each room belonged to.

"Yes, I'm alright now. Thank you very much." The silver-haired girl said, flashing a gentle smile.

Tsumugi seemed to soften a little from her assuring words. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Her eyes crinkled as she rested a hand to her hip. "I'm in the room right beside you, so call me if you need anything." She waved. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tsumugi." Choju returned the gesture, watching as Tsumugi made her way towards the neighbouring room before reaching to close her door.

Once she heard the faint tick of the latch bolt clicking into place, Choju felt her smile fall. Leaning forward, she pressed her heated forehead against the frosted glass strip of her door as a muffled sigh escaped her lips.

"This body really is the worst..." She uttered under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut as she slowly turned to rest her back of her head against the door. Her brows furrowed slightly as she suppressed the aching pain that still nagged at her limbs. As much as she wanted to pass out right there and then, she figured it'd probably be wiser to move towards the bed before she crashed. Opening her heavy eyelids, she then pushed off against the door and began to make her way further into her dorm room.

The room had a general red, off-white and black colour scheme. There was a bathroom connected to the foyer hall, complete with a hybrid shower bath and full-length mirror. Another one of those familiar monitors and speakers were set up in the corner of the main room, hanging directly above what seemed to be a closet filled with many more of the exact same outfit she was currently wearing. On the opposite side of the room, there was a maroon bed pressed up against the wall as well as a desk, chair and notepad set up beside it. A red couch sat at the foot of the bed, positioned to face a TV stand with a coffee table in between.

Choju raised an eyebrow, noticing a mini hanger-like decoration had been placed on the table with something wrapped around it. "Is this the key...?" She murmured to no one particular.

"Youse got that right!" Suddenly out of nowhere, a puff of smoke appeared revealing Monosuke, the yellow Monokub. "There's probably nothing worth stealing here, but youse should still lock the door just in case." He advised. "Unless you're planning to let the other students sneak in and kill youse while you're sleeping. Then, by all means, go for it."

Choju's eyes widened for a split second longer before crinkling. "I'm sure nothing of the sort will happen. But thank you nonetheless, Monosuke." She replied with a honeyed smile, reaching forth to unhook the key.

Monosuke didn't respond immediately, instead opting to lift his glasses further up his snout. "Go to bed, youse bastard." He spat before vanishing in another puff of smoke.

Left to her own accord once more, Choju's expression returned to a neutral one. She peered down at the key in her hands, studying the Ultimate Academy insignia with an unreadable expression as many thoughts began to collectively race through her mind.

"A killing game, huh...?"

***

After tying her hair back into its usual braided headband across the top of her head, Choju stared down at the pair of butterfly hairpins that rested on her counter for a little longer than usual. She reached down to cradle them in the palm of her hands, gently brushing her thumb over the delicate purple wings before huffing out a breath and clipping them onto either side of her head. She then peered into the mirror, checking for the clock that reflected within.

7:35 A.M.

She was still exhausted, but it would be wiser to meet up with everyone as soon as possible.

After inspecting her appearance in the mirror one final time and ensuring that she had both her Monopad and keys, Choju exited her room, making sure to lock the door behind her. 

Just as she was about to step out of the shadows beneath the staircase, she heard the sound of another person's door creaking open, causing her to halt in her tracks. She stilled, observing through the space between the steps as a boy wearing a black cap quietly crept out of his dorm room. His golden eyes swiftly scanned the hall, narrowly missing Choju's small figure before locking his door and hurrying out of the dormitories.

Choju hummed. If she remembered correctly, that boy's name was Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective. 

"What is he doing?" She wondered out loud, violet eyes following his silhouette as it grew more and more distant.

** _***_ **

After that rather strange encounter, Choju made her way to the dining hall to meet up with the others and grab breakfast. She half-expected for the detective to be there as well, only to find that even after the obnoxious morning announcements, he still has yet to arrive. It wasn't until Kaede's appearance, did he finally show up alongside her.

"Oh, everyone's here already," The pianist noted.

"Now, all of us have arrived." Korekiyo nodded along as he counted up the number of his fellow classmates. "Kehehe, I'm glad. It looks as though there were no victims." 

"But of course!" Kiibo shouted tensely.

"By the way, Kaede-chan," Kokichi called out, flashing an enigmatic smile in the blonde's direction. "Are you okay?" He asked. 

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, you looked really bummed out after everyone started blaming you yesterday." Kokichi hummed, tapping a finger against his chin. "Seriously, you guys are so mean. The poor girl was only trying her best to encourage everyone, but you sore losers got mad at her anyway." He pouted, casting the blonde a pitiful expression.

Immediately, the tension within the room rose sharply at Kokichi's words, causing Kaede to freeze up in her spot. Choju watched as her lilac eyes scanned the room, sweeping over each of their classmates, eventually making eye contact with her before swiftly turning away in what seemed to be guilt.

"Actually, didn't you blame Kaede first?" Tenko piped up, eyes narrowing.

"Eh? N-Now it's my fault?" His purple eyes began to water. "Why are you guys ganging up on me?" He sniffled lightly before bursting into tears mere seconds later. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! You guys are so terrible! So horrible, so mean!" He cried. 

"You're too noisy. Cut it out." Ryoma grumbled, rubbing his temples in irritation.

"But, it's true." Kaito pointed out. "Everyone blamed Kaede without taking any responsibilities themselves." He reminded, reaching up to ruffle his hair with a hint of lingering exhaustion.

"Hey, come on now. Everyone was probably just tired." Rantaro stepped in, attempting to mediate the situation. 

However, Kaito refused to give in. "Shut up, that's no excuse!"

"No, it's okay! It doesn't bother me!" Hoping to avoid another internal dispute between the students, Kaede spoke up. "It's just... I should've been more considerate about everyone's feelings, but I was too focused on the tunnel... I'm sorry." She murmured, voice growing quiet.

Kaito didn't immediately respond. He took a moment to study Kaede's determined expression before heaving a sigh. "Alright. Well, if you're okay with it then so am I." He yielded. 

"Phew, cool beans!" Kokichi grinned, his tear flow suddenly shutting off like a switch. "Now, everything's settled!"

"But you did blame her first, didn't you?" Kiibo reminded in annoyance.

"Well, that was a lie." Kokichi shrugged. "Y'know, one of those lies to make us more united or whatever."

"Now that sounds like a lie." Himiko murmured.

"Let's just forget about it and discuss something else. Okay?" Kaede smiled gently, hoping to move the conversation along. "Let's all think about ways to get out of here." She suggested.

"Oh! Oh! Before you do that, I have an announcement~!" Monokuma cheered, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. 

Many of the students let out a scream, hastily scrambling away from the robot bear in a mixture of confusion and fear. Choju, too, was surprised by their headmaster's sudden and unannounced appearance, though she was much more startled by Tsumugi, who impulsively grabbed onto the songstress's arm for security.

"Hey, don't just suddenly show up!" The cosplayer shouted nervously at the black-and-white bear, face as pale as a sheet. "That's too much stress on my heart!" She gasped.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to not surprise you." The bear cooed as he chuckled into his paws.

"Oh my, so you did mean to surprise us." Choju rephrased.

"Well? Your announcement?" Remaining as calm as ever, Rantaro asked with his arms folded over his chest.

"It's not terribly important, but..." Monokuma snickered. "It's easy to stay alive by being an obvious goody-two-shoes, right? Being thrust into a killing game doesn't mean you'll get to kill someone easily, so I figured I'd ease you guys into the killing game by giving you a motivation to kill." He declared proudly. 

"Motivation... to kill?" Maki repeated with a cautious brow raise.

"In short, a motive! Make sure you record this moment for posterity!" Holding a paw before his snout, the robotic bear cleared his throat dramatically. "Now then, the special motive I've prepared is called the First Blood Perk!" He announced giddily. "Wow! For the first murder that occurs, no class trial will be held! Can you believe it? That means the first people to kill someone will get to graduate, no strings attached!"

Maki's brows furrowed. "No class trial will be held?" She murmured. 

"I'm sorry that I made the class trial sound more important than it really is, so for the first murder, I've decided not to hold a class trial at all," Monokuma continued to explain. "Please just relax, calm down, and kill! After all, the first one's free!"

"H-Huh? That's all!?" Miu gulped, a look of excitement flashing across her eyes. "We just gotta kill someone to get outta here!?" She asked.

"' That's all'!? What's that supposed to mean!? Please, just calm down!" Kiibo hurried to intervene in whatever thoughts ran through the inventor's mind. 

"First Blood Perk!? Don't make it sound like some kind of game show bonus!" Tenko yelled angrily.

"Puhuhu, you say that, but I bet you're really happy, right?" Monokuma snickered. 

"There's no way I'm happy!"

"Stop messing around! Do you really think this is fun for us?" Staring down at the black-and-white bear, Kaede spoke up defiantly. "There's no way I would kill someone to get out!" She declared. "We promised! We promised each other we'd escape from this place!"

"Oh, spare me the false bravado." Monokuma waved the blonde off. "You should just be focusing on your plan to survive. You just gotta kill someone, right?" He provoked. 

"Why you...!" Kaito growled, looking as if he was about to pounce on the bear at any second. 

Rantaro, on the other hand, seemed to be lost in a contemplative state. "I see. The Prisoner's Dilemma." He murmured. "How very clever of you, Monokuma."

"Huh? The Prisoner's what now?" Kaito's brows furrowed in confusion. 

"Ah, I've heard of that before." Eyes flickering upwards, Choju hummed. "If I remember correctly, the prisoner's dilemma is a problem branching from the idea of game theory. Imagine this for me," She lifted her index finger thoughtfully. "You and your friend are arrested as the two suspects of a crime and are held in separate cells with no methods to communicate with each other what-so-ever. The detective of the case offers both of you an opportunity to either remain silent or blame the other. If you both remain silent, you each will serve only two years in prison. If you both place blame on each other, you each will serve ten years. And if one of you blames the other and the other remains silent, the one who remained silent would serve fifteen years, while their friend would be set free. In a situation such as this, what would you do?" She posed, tilting her head with an expecting smile. 

"Well, obviously, I'd keep quiet. I trust my friend!" Kaito immediately replied with a confident grin.

"But how would you know your friend would share that sentiment?" Kokichi interjected, looking at Kaito as if he were an idiot. "If you get ratted out, you're the one who'll spend the next fifteen years in the slammer. Casting blame on them is the better choice here." He announced. 

"I-I'm sure my friend wouldn't betray me like that!" The astronaut insisted clumsily. "Besides, if we both stay quiet, we'd only be serving two years each. That's a fair trade!"

Kokichi clicked his tongue. "There's no way that's a fair trade." He scoffed. "I'd rather not spend any time in jail." 

"Ahh, but wouldn't your friend, who is in the same situation, be thinking the same thing?" Choju pointed out. "Do you see now? Even though there is a choice that results in the most optimal payoff for both sides, it's not the rational choice because both parties behave with their self-interest in mind. That's why it's called the Prisoner's Dilemma." She explained with a hint of excitement glimmering in her amethyst-like eyes, before noticing the room had gone silent. 

"Hm?" She sounded, tilting her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"C-Choju..." Shuichi murmured. "That was..." His voice trailed off, unable to put the odd mixture of suspicion and amazement into words. 

"Ah," Realizing what had them so surprised, Choju quickly covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers. "It's just a little something I've heard from a dear friend of mine." She swiftly recomposed herself, brushing her words off with an enigmatic smile. "I just remembered it because it was something I personally found quite interesting. Please don't mind it."

"Either way, you are correct." Clearing his throat, Rantaro diverted everyone's attention back onto himself as he continued. "We all know that it's better to cooperate than to betray each other, right? But if you don't cooperate, you receive a special benefit that no one else gets." He elaborated thoughtfully. "It's an incentive to betray the group to give yourself an advantage. With that in the back of our minds, we're less likely to cooperate. That's Monokuma's plan, to make a non-cooperative game that tanks Kaede's plan to get us to cooperate."

"H-Huh?" Kaede jolted back in shock. 

"And if a murder were to occur, it'd be even more unlikely that we'd cooperate," Shuichi added on.

"It's likely that he created this perk for that sole purpose," Korekiyo suggested, casting Monokuma a suspicious glance. 

Monokuma let out a crackle. "Right? I bet you can't stand this tension in the air! So it's better to just kill!" 

A few of the more headstrong students began to glare daggers at the sadistic bear, watching as he revelled in his hearty laughter while the more timid students backed away fearfully. No one dared make a move against him though, especially not when Rule Number 8 of the School Regulations was still in effect.

Well, all except one. 

Proving to be quite the hot-head of the group, Kaito rose to his feet with veins visible on his forehead. "Ahh! I've had enough of this! I'm taking you out!" He roared, lunging forward and attempting to grab Monokuma by the neck, only for the bear to nimbly duck down and dodge his grasp. Before either Kaito or the other students could have the chance to react to the new developments, the familiar voices of the Monokubs filled the dining hall.

"Rise and Shine, Ursine!"

"Hell yeah!" Monokid exclaimed loudly. "Looks like we got ourselves a volunteer!"

"Finally, it's time for the Exisals!" Monotaro announced. 

"We won't let you lay a hand on daddy!" Monophanie nodded along determinedly. "We want daddy to smile forever!"

"Youse bastards better pay attention! This what happens when you mess with us!" Monosuke hummed, pointing a paw at the remaining students. 

Kaito, quickly regretting his impulsive actions, backed away nervously into the dining table. "W-what?! What are you going to do?!" He stammered.

"P-Please stop!" Kiibo shouted.

"Kaito!" Kaede called out desperately. "Run!"

The students' desperate cries for the astronaut to flee were quickly drowned out by the approaching sounds of machines. Choju observed silently, subconsciously wrapping an arm around a trembling Tsumugi who once again, latched onto the songstress in terror. Though even she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut as the sound of the exisal crashing through the ceiling resounded within the dining hall, followed by a scream of pure agony. However, the outcry sounded far too... high-pitched, to be from Kaito. 

When Choju next opened her eyes, she was greeted with a rather... peculiar sight. 

Monokuma, the haughty robotic bear who had been sadistically taunting the seventeen teenagers up until that point, was now held beneath the foot of the red exisal, slowly flattening into a metal pancake. He flailed his arms, kicking and attempting to wiggle his way out before finally falling silent. Then, a small explosion soon followed, sending his mechanic parts flying all over the room as the students hurried to duck the incoming scraps and screws.

"S-Serves him right! He just got what he deserved!" Kaito spat rigidly, still trying to recompose himself from the strange shift in events.

"Do not celebrate just yet," Kirumi warned cautiously. "I'm certain he has a spare that will appear momentarily."

"S-Stop it!" Monophanie screamed, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "There is no spare! Don't trivialize life like that!" She winced.

"What?" Kaede muttered incredulously. 

"When father was alive, he used to tell us that we must cherish life because we're like snowflakes - unique in every way." Monotaro sniffled. 

Maki pressed her lips together, still a little apprehensive on the thought. "If only one existed, does this mean Monokuma is dead?" 

Monophanie nodded sadly. "Poor Daddy," She cooed. "Let's at least bury him with full honours..."

"So long! Bear-well!"

With that, the Monokubs disappeared once again, leaving the seventeen students in utter confusion.

"U-Um... What is going on?" Tsumugi questioned in a whisper.

"Well, everything's a complete mess now." Kokichi hummed. "But if there's no final boss, then that means this killing game is cancelled!" He announced with a joyous expression. 

"C-Cancelled?" Gonta repeated curiously. 

"I don't think so." Rantaro shook his head. "Monokuma is a robot; there has to be someone controlling him." He pointed out. 

Letting out a child-like laugh, Kokichi's grin widened. "Don't be such a worrywart! Everything's definitely over now!" He assured. "With the mastermind gone, continuing this pretty much impossible. Which means... we win!"

"Yay, we did it! Nyahaha!" Angie cheered along, waving her hands in the air.

"Oh, so do we wait here for a shuttle bus to pick us up or...?" Tsumugi asked, seeming hopeful. 

"W-Wait a minute!" Kaede interrupted nervously. "We still don't know if-"

"Kaede, quit being a buzzkill!" Kokichi interrupted her with an irritated expression, completely contradicting his previous stance on the subject. "Everyone's still annoyed about what you did yesterday!"

"I-I didn't mean it like that-"

"Or... Is there still something you would have us do, Kaede?" Korekiyo interjected calmly, shooting the blonde a knowing look. 

Almost immediately, several exasperated and hostile gazes darted towards the Ultimate Pianist, causing her to flinch from the chill that ran up her spine. 

"Don't tell me you want to take on that fucking underground passageway again?!" Miu hissed angrily. 

"Give up. We know it's impossible." Maki narrowed her eyes. 

Kaede's lavender eyes swept across the room, trying to get a read on each of her fellow classmates before noticing Choju's indecipherable gaze fixated on her. As they made eye contact, the songstress immediately flashed her a smile, causing a sense of guilt to swell within her chest as she hurriedly looked away. "S-Sorry..." She murmured, awkwardly rubbing her trembling forearm for some form of comfort. 

"Phew, it looks like we're done here." Kokichi nodded, seeming rather pleased with how the discussion ended. "What a relief." He chimed.

** _***_ **

In the end, the morning gathering within the dining hall concluded with the students dispersing, each going their separate ways as Kokichi had suggested. Though Choju had remained in the cafeteria, along with Kirumi, Korekiyo and Miu. The Ultimate Maid had taken the liberty to cook breakfast for everyone; she didn't want her efforts to go to waste, even if her meal only consisted of a small plate of salad and a pot of fresh-brewed tea.

"Choju, you need to eat more than that," Kirumi said sternly, staring down at her sparse plate. 

"I don't eat much, to begin with," She explained. "I'm on a diet."

The maid shook her head. "Being on a diet at our age is poor for your health. It's probably one of the many contributing factors to why you collapsed so easily yesterday."

"Kehehe... for you to collapse so easily..." Korekiyo murmured thoughtfully. "Your constitution must be extremely frail." He let out a creepy chuckled.

"I suppose so," The songstress hummed. "Either way, I don't think I could stomach any more food than this right now. I'm still a little shaken up from what happened." She said, lips curling into a wry smile as she pressed her hands against her chest. 

"That's understandable." Kirumi nodded. "Very well then, I will be going back to the dormitory halls." She informed. "If there's anything I can do to assist you, please let me know."

"Of course." Choju beamed. 

"I will be taking my leave as well," Korekiyo followed, steadily rising from his seat. "I'll see you around."

"Thank you very much, Korekiyo."

Sending the two off with her gaze, Choju felt her etched smile loosen a little at the sound of the double doors slamming shut. She brought her teacup to her lips, breathing a whiff of the soothing aroma before taking a sip. Indeed, Kirumi's skills as the Ultimate Maid were quite something. She never knew it was possible to hand brew such a fragrant and fresh-tasting tea. It had a citrusy flavour with a sweet aftertaste, leaving a pleasant tingling down her throat. She figured it was some kind of apple tea.

"Um... Choju?" A smooth voice sounded behind her, taking the songstress by surprise as she snapped her head around, slamming the teacup back down onto the saucer. 

The person that seemed to have snuck up on her was none other than Rantaro Amami, the singular student who couldn't remember his Ultimate Talent. He stood behind her with his hands in the air and a wide-eyed expression, clearly startled by her sudden and jerky movements.

"Sorry, is now not a good time?"

Choju didn't immediately respond. Instead, her eyes darted over to the red doors that kept closed. She was certain that when Kirumi and Korekiyo left, she was the only one remaining within the dining hall, which means he must've come in when she was lost in the enticing scent of her tea.

_She let her guard down. _

For a moment there, the dining hall was encased in a looming silence as the two teenagers simply stared at each other. But before Rantaro could fully register the stillness within the room, the silver-haired girl's lips melted into a honeyed smile. "Of course not," She spoke in her melodious voice. "How can I help you, Rantaro?"

"It's nothing like that," Waving his hands, Rantaro let out a polite laugh. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

"Then, by all means, please take a seat." She gestured the dining table. "I'll always make time to hang out with the white knight who rescued me from that freezing locker."

"You're exaggerating," Rantaro assured, settling into the seat directly across from her. "Anyone with any common sense would've helped you out of that situation." He pointed out.

Choju's eyes rounded, watching as Rantaro subconsciously begin to rub the back of his neck bashfully as a result of her previous comment. "Who knows," She mused, lips curling upward into a chaff smile. "It might have been fate."

"Fate...?" Rantaro's peridot-like eyes rounded. "Choju, I-"

"Relax, I'm just teasing you," Entertained by his reaction, Choju quickly dropped the act as she let out a soft chuckle. "So? What was the real reason you wanted to talk?" She probed, reaching down to pick up her teacup once again.

Rantaro huffed out a breath, swiftly recomposing himself from Choju's little jest. "It's nothing important. I just wanted to further discuss the Prisoner's Dilemma with you." He said. "You seem to know a lot about it."

"I don't," Choju replied simply as she sipped on the citrus tea, violet eyes fixated on her reflection within the light orange beverage. "I already told you, I heard about it from a dear friend of mine, didn't I?" She reminded. 

"Your friend, huh?" Propping an elbow up on the table, Rantaro hummed. "Do you mind me asking who?"

Choju's gaze flickered upward to study Rantaro's expression, which only grew more curious by her attempts to brush off the incident. Tilting her head to the side, she simpered. 

"Is this an interrogation?"

"No, not at all." Rantaro quickly waved his hands, denying the notion. "I guess I was being a little intrusive, huh?" He said, huffing out a laugh.

"Would you mind cutting to the chase?" Placing her cup back down, Choju requested. 

"Haha, alright, alright." The young man let out a wry chuckle before allowing his expression to darken into a much more serious one. "Choju," He addressed sternly. "Are you really just a songstress?"

The girl's amethyst-like eyes widened a little at his question before falling back into her usual smiles. "Oh my, do you find me suspicious?" She asked, covering her lips with the hem of her sleeves.

"A little, yeah," Rantaro admitted, shifting his gaze to the side. "All of us woke up in a normal classroom in pairs. All except you, who woke up alone in the Science Lab of all places. It's almost like... you were placed there for some specific reason." He theorized before glancing back at her. "Anyone would be a little suspicious, no?"

In the face of his probing questions, Choju's eyes crinkled. "Couldn't the same be said about you, Rantaro?" She pointed out. 

"Hm?"

"While I cannot answer the classroom difference, I can confidently tell you that I really am just a songstress. Nothing more, nothing less." Choju stated, her gaze in a downcast as she scraped the bottom of her teacup against the saucer. "Now, tell me, Rantaro. A famous songstress and a boy who can't even remember his own talent," She paused for a second, eyes averting upward to look directly at him with an enigmatic smile. "Between the two of us, it's you who seems more suspicious, don't you think?"

Rantaro blinked a little, staring at the silver-haired girl's unreadable expression. "I guess I stuck my nose somewhere it doesn't belong." He let out a soft laugh, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry if I offended you in any way."

"Not at all." Choju shook her head, raising the now lukewarm drink to her lips. "I can understand why you would be wary of anyone who stands out from the group." She said, taking a sip. 

"But you're right," Rantaro muttered as he propped an arm up on the dining table. "I'm probably the most suspicious out of all of us, not being able to remember my talent and all." He admitted, averting his eyes to the side thoughtfully. "I mean, what if it's a talent I don't want to remember?"

"Like a criminal one, per se?" Choju tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah." The young man nodded. "What if I erased my memories on purpose because I was a murderer or something? I could be the Ultimate Murderous Fiend for all we know." He suggested, baring a self-deprecating smile.

Placing the finished teacup down, Choju let out a soft hum as she reached forward for the steaming pot and another tea set. "I don't believe that's the case." She said simply.

"Huh?" Rantaro sounded, a little surprised by her swift dismissal of the idea. 

"What I'm saying is that you shouldn't think so lowly of yourself," Choju remarked, pouring the fragrant liquid out into both cups in one elegant motion. "I merely suggested the fact that you may be suspicious, but that doesn't mean that I actually believe it. Besides, I don't think your talent would be related to something so brutal and cold-blooded." She paused for a second, pushing the freshly filled set across the table towards him. "I believe you are a good person, Rantaro." She assured, meeting his gaze with a sweet smile. 

The green-haired boy stared down at his reflection within the drink, thinking over the songstress's words for a brief moment before huffing out a chuckle. "Thanks." He said, sliding the cup and saucer closer to himself as a symbol of acceptance. 

For a brief while, a comfortable silence loomed within the room as the two took their time to enjoy the sweet and sour flavour of the citrus tea. It was calming, almost therapeutic, like every last one of their worries was being melted away in the warmth of the drink. Choju closed her eyes, breathing in a whiff of the soothing aroma before speaking up again.

"To answer your previous question, the person who taught me about the prisoner's dilemma is a psychologist friend of mine." She explained, opening her eyes as a nostalgic smile began to tug at her lips. 

"A Psychologist?" Rantaro raised an eyebrow. 

"The Ultimate Psychologist, in fact." She elaborated, her cheeks beaming with a clear sense of pride. "She's my childhood friend, despite being quite a few years older. Though I am much closer with her younger sister than I am with her."

"Oh? She has a younger sister?" Rantaro placed his cup back down, a mixture of pain and interest briefly flashing across his eyes.

Choju nodded. "She'd always drag her elder sister to my performances to cheer me on. And then after that, she'd visit me in my trailer, bringing fruits as well as a bouquet as gifts."

Rantaro huffed a little. "You speak fondly of her."

"Of course, she's very important to me." She replied as a serene expression began to surface on her delicate features.

"What are their names? If you don't mind me asking, of course." He swiftly added, breathing out a light-hearted chuckle. 

Choju tilted her head to the side compliantly before raising her teacup to her lips. "The elder sister's name is Sora Maekawa, while the younger ones name is..." Her fluid movements came to an abrupt halt as her voice trailed off. "It's..."

Rantaro peered up, curious to the girl's sudden stillness only to find her staring down blankly into her drink with wide-eyes. "Choju?" He attempted to call out to the silver-haired girl, only for her to flinch up in response. Her gaze darted up as her fingers twitched, accidentally letting the teacup slip past her grasps. 

The crisp sound of ceramic shattering echoed throughout the dining hall, the contents within spilling all over the floor and her lolita-style dress. 

"Woah there." Rantaro immediately jolted up from his seat. "Are you okay? Did something happen?" He asked, brows furrowing slightly.

"Oh my." Snapping out of her trace, Choju gasped as she stared down at her stained dress with a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, I was a little zoned out and ended up making such a mess."

"It's fine," Rantaro assured, briefly taking note of the half-dazed expression that lingered on the songstress's face. "Why don't you go get changed? I'll clean this up." He suggested. 

"Really? Thank you so much!" Lowering her head in gratitude, Choju took a few brisk steps towards the doors. "It was nice talking to you, Rantaro." Flashing an apologetic smile over her shoulder, she then hurried out of the room without another word.

"Yeah, you too." Rantaro waved. 

** _***_ **

_Why?_

Gently closing the door behind her, Choju pressed a hand against her forehead as she leaned back upon the frosted glass of her dorm room. Her heart was rapidly pounding in the cavity of her chest, and her head was aching with a sense of disorientation. 

Why?

Why couldn't she remember her friend's name?

When Rantaro had asked, the elder sister's name slipped out past so easily. But for some reason, the younger's was utterly lost in the sea of her mind. It was just at the tip of her tongue. So familiar, so close, yet it still managed to slip past her grasps, washing away like the rapid streams of a river. 

_Calm down, Choju._ She gently shook her head, attempting to recompose herself from her momentary state of panic. _You're just overwhelmed by all that's been happening recently. Think about this a little more. You know her last name - Maekawa. _

_But that's Sora's married name. _Her sub-conscience reminded.

Choju didn't give up. Pressing her lips together, she began racking her brain for any hint of her best friends' information, only for a chilling realization to rattle down her spine, rendering her knees weak as she collapsed to the ground in shock. 

_She couldn't remember **anything** about her._

It wasn't just her first name. Her last name, age, voice, appearance, personality. All of that was nothing but a jumbled blur in her memories. They were all cloaked in a dense mist, shrouded in obscure darkness in which she couldn't tell left from right.

Then... Could she have just been a work of fiction? An imaginary friend? A surfacing delusion her mind had fabricated in the past as a pathetic coping mechanism?

She swiftly shook her head, shooting down the thought. 

No, that couldn't be the case.

She could still remember all of their past interactions as clear as day. She could still recall her friend's encouraging words right before her very first performance, her tight, congratulatory embrace after being graced with the position of the prima donna, and even her gentle warmth and steady breath as she fell asleep on her shoulder that one time in the library. Choju could almost picture her friendly smile and soothing voice. 

She is the most important person in her life, her best friend that stuck with her even when the wind howled and the storm slashed. Yet she couldn't remember a thing about her. It was just beyond her reach, deep within her mind, inaccessible behind lock and key.

Scrunching her hands tightly on the cold floors of her dorm room, Choju chewed her bottom lip in frustration. 

"... Why?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Updating the day I take my ACTs, because why not? I really wanted to update this story soon because it's been a little over five weeks since I last did, and it just really didn't sit right with me. I just hope the longer chapters do a little makeup for the long waits. (I really do apologize about this random update schedule, I promise it'll get better once the college grind is over) 
> 
> How did you guys feel about this most recent chapter? It's quite strange that Choju couldn't remember a single thing about her dear friend, isn't it? I wonder why. Feel free to leave your theories in the comments; I'll be reading and replying to each and everyone as best I can. 
> 
> On another note, I really do hope everyone is remaining in character during certain scenes. I'm still getting the hang of writing for such a large cast, so I apologize if anyone comes off as OOC. 
> 
> I still don't know when the next chapter will be, but I'll try my best to have it up by Christmas. Earlier if I have the time. See you all then~
> 
> With that, have a great day!
> 
> XOXO,
> 
> Astra


	4. Chapter 3 || Tragedy Strikes when you'd least Expect

_-Chapter 3-_

**Tragedy Strikes when you'd least Expect**

The following morning, the students within the Ultimate Academy had once again gathered within the dining hall. Despite the absence of a rescue team or shuttle bus to pick them up from the academy, most of the students still seemed to be in high spirits, a complete opposite from the depressing and anxious atmosphere mere twenty-four hours ago.

"Man! I was worried about what would happen, but I'm glad everything turned out like this!" Kokichi chimed, happily shoving another piece of Kirumi's handmade hashbrowns into his mouth with a wide grin.

"Yeah, seriously..." Kaito agreed.

"Nyeh... I slept so well last night, I even went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth all by myself." Himiko announced proudly.

"You did all of that with magic?!" Tenko's eyes began to twinkle as she flailed her arms excitedly. "You really are amazing, Himiko!"

"Praise be Atua." Angie hummed as she clasped her hands together. "Surely, he helped you in his own mysterious, miraculous way."

"This Atua seems to act in secret a lot..." Tsumugi commented, looking a little skeptical.

"Because Atua smells of danger." The artist winked coyly.

"But... When someone coming to get us?" Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Gonta voiced the real question at hand.

"They should be here today!" Keebo puffed out his chest with confidence. "There's no need to worry."

As the group continued on merrily with their delicious breakfast prepared by none other than the Ultimate Maid herself, Rantaro seemed especially uneasy. His gaze was in a downcast, and his lips etched into a permanent frown. Ryoma seemed to notice this and called him out."...Hey, what's with the long face?"

The young man gently remained silent for a beat before shaking his head. "Nothing, really. After all, you probably don't want to hear anything from someone who can't even remember their own talent." He said, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle.

"What are you talking about?" Kirumi raised an eyebrow.

"It's nothing. There's nothing that's left to be done." He assured, scratching his head with a forced laugh.

"But... Is it really the end?" Kaede blurted out, causing everyone's gaze to dart over in a mixture of annoyance and hostility. "I mean, it's just too easy." Waving her hands, she hurried to explain. "I just... don't think it'll end like this."

"This is a simple question. But," Korekiyo's voice trailed off as he pulled his hat down just enough to cover his eyes. "Did you perhaps want the killing game to continue?" He inquired ominously.

"Of course not!" Kaede immediately shook her head, denying the notion. "It's just-"

"Then don't ruin our happy moment, fuckin' skank!" Miu snapped irritably, rendering the pianist silent.

"Hey, Kaede-chan," Tapping a finger against his chin, Kokichi cocked his head to the side. "I don't know what you're worried about. Monokuma's dead; there's no need for the killing game to continue, y'know?"

"And that's my cue to appear, kuma!" A familiar voice rang throughout the dining hall. With a puff of smoke, Monokuma appeared at the head of the table, wearing what seemed to be a straw-skirt. His usual bear ears were switched out for cat-like ones, complete with light blue ghost-like orbs that circled his robotic body. Immediately, the students broke into collective panic as they hurriedly scrambled away from the supposedly dead bear.

"M-Monokuma!"

"He's still alive?!"

"No, no, no." Monokuma clicked his tongue. "Are you blind, kuma? I ain't Monokuma, kuma. After dying in a tragic car accident, I've been reborn as the spirit of Jibankuma, kuma!" He declared boastfully.

"Jibankuma?" Keebo repeated, seeming to have a little trouble in keeping up with the rapid flow of events.

"From now on, I will be your headmaster, kuma! It might feel a bit awkward at first, but get used to it!" As he continued on with his announcement, the room fell into a chilling stillness. "Huh? Did I say something?" The bear tilted its head to the side. "Everyone's so quiet."

"No duh, you fuckin' fraud. Go find another car to run you over. And this time, stay dead!" Miu barked.

Tsumugi nodded weakly. "It's such a low-level cosplay... I can't bear to look..." She shuddered slightly.

Korekiyo, on the other hand, seemed to be focused on something else entirely. "I'm going to ask a basic question. Have you maybe mixed up the meanings behind 'yūeri' and 'yōkai'?" He sighed. "Yōkai are beings that protect forests and mountains. They are natural creatures that thrive in nature. They are apparitions that cannot be controlled by technology, and through fear, were given a solid form. Now, yūrei, on the other hand-"

"Aw, man!" Cutting the anthropologist off, Monokuma shedded his poorly-made disguise with a click of his tongue. "You guys are buzzkills! I was all set for an adventure before you all started yelling at me!" He complained. "This is why I hate teenagers! I'd have cash for days if I was dealing with the under 10 crowds."

"Rise and shine, ursine!" As if the situation couldn't get any more confusing, the Monokubs appeared on the ground with a puff of smoke.

"Geez, it's loud in here. What's all the ruckus about-" Rubbing his eyes, Monotaro murmured half-way only to notice Monokuma seated at the head of the table. "Wait, WHAT?!" He jumped. "Our father, who we thought was dead, is actually alive?!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"No way! Papa Kuma is too hip and modern to resort to the 'death is cheap' troupe!" Monokid interjected.

"You should have told us you were still alive." Monophanie pouted. "We've been making stew with your body!"

"WAIT, but if we cremated Papa Kuma's corpse, and he's standing right there..." Monokid let out a roaring scream. "WHICH ONE IS THE REAL PAPA KUMA?!"

"Oh, they're both real," Monokuma stated, calmly jumping off his seat as he waddled towards his children.

"Huh? But father, you said there's only one of each of us. That we're unique, like snowflakes." Monotaro pointed out.

"Well yeah, there is only one of each of you." Monokuma waved a paw indifferently. "But I've got loads of spares." He added.

"Gahhh! Why don't we have spares?!" Monokid cupped his cheeks in horror.

"Of course, you don't!" Monokuma reprimanded angrily. "Do you really think anyone this day and age would tolerate the 'death is cheap' troupe?!" He questioned.

"Ah, I see now." Standing to the side, Monosuke hummed as he pushed his glasses further up his snout with an intelligent glint. "There's a device that can bring Pops back to life. You just gotta put his body in the machine, turn it on, and then a new Pops-" However, before he could finish his mini-exposition, Monokuma had begun picking up each of the cubs and licking them from head to toe.

"Hell noooo!"

"AHHHHH!"

"This is an emotional reunion, and you all gotta take your licks!" Ignoring his children's squirming and screaming, Monokuma exclaimed, showing no signs of slowing down his display of 'affection.'

"Oh my," Choju cupped her cheek, letting out a mused chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I can't react to this... I'm too in shock. " Tsumugi paled. "Does this mean the killing game is going to continue?"

"C-Continue?" Kaede murmured, eyes rounding in horror. "The killing game is going to continue...?" She asked.

Himiko grumbled. "...what a pain."

Miu whipped her head around, glaring at the magician. "That's not the problem, donkey face!"

Kokichi, on the other hand, was trembling. "W-What do you mean...? The killing game... is going to continue?" For a moment there, he seemed as if he were on the verge of tears, but that didn't last long as his demeanour took an abrupt 180 as he broke into a wide grin. " I mean that sounds less boring, so I guess it's okay!" He shrugged.

"No, it's definitely not okay!" Tenko voiced aloud.

"So that's how it's going to be... " Rantaro hummed softly, arms folding over his chest. "If we wanna end this, we have to take down Monokuma and the person behind him."

"I already predicted that he had a spare, but I did not expect it to be built within the academy," Kirumi sighed. "Either way, I assume this would happen, so this development was not surprising." She remarked calmly.

"Is that so?" Pressing a paw to his cheek with an air of feigned innocence, Monokuma tilted his head to the side. "Then, did you also assume this next exciting development?" He cleared his throat. "Now then, I'm pleased to announce an additional motive!"

"An... additional motive?" Kaede repeated in disbelief.

"A time limit is now in effect!" Spreading his arms outward with a malicious glare in his blinking red-eye, Monokuma chirped. "If a murder does not occur by nighttime, two days from now, then every student participating in this killing game will die! Mauled to shreds by countless Monokumas from the rumoured Monokuma-making machine!" He described it almost joyously. "So unless you want to end up as pink smears you might want to take this game seriously!"

"T-Time limit?!" Gonta gasped.

"Everyone will die?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow.

"What?!" Tenko protested. "That's not fair!"

"Geez, why'd you guys even come to this school if you're not gonna do the killing game?!" The monochromatic bear complained.

"You're the one that forced us to come here!" Kaito rshouted.

"Why are you doing this?" Keebo asked, a painful expression surfacing on his metallic features. "How much longer do you want us to suffer?"

"Well, if you kill, you won't need to suffer anymore, will you?" Monokuma replied cheekily.

"You bastard...!" Kaito grumbled under his breath, barely containing his urge to lunge at the bear once more.

Shaking his head, Monokuma heaved an exasperated sigh. "Don't you realize that working together is pointless? So just knock it off already. You know what you gotta do, don't you?" His etched grin seemed to widen. "You're surrounded by strangers, neither allies nor friends. No need to worry about them!"

"Plus, you still got the First Blood Perk! That means the first kill is free!" Monosuke added.

"But the killing game is gory, isn't it?" Monophanie questioned, pressing a law to her mouth. "I'm starting to feel a little queasy..."

"HELL YEAH! If there's no killing game, EVERYONE'LL DIE! Isn't that even more grotesque?!" Monokid yelled.

"If you're going to such extremes... Can't we just redo everything?" Monophanie brightened. "Forget the killing game then. Let's just let everyone die together!" She chirped, clapping her paws together happily.

Everyone seemed to tense at this idea.

"Shut up! And get the fuck outta here!" Miu snapped.

"Well, what you guys decide next is all up to you." Monokuma hummed. "Do whatever you want. You can all die working together, or you can survive on your own, it's your call."

"So long, bear well!"

With a collectively maniacal crackle, Monokuma and his five children vanished in another puff of smoke, leaving the seventeen Ultimate students in a mixture of shock and disbelief. Each of their faces was painted with something similar. There was caution, distrust, suspicion, terror and of course, an overwhelming sense of despair.

"What are we going to do...?" Tsumugi squeaked, shattering the suffocating silence that loomed within the room. "Nighttime in two days... That'll be here in an instant." She pointed out.

"There's gotta be somethin' we can do..." Miu shook her head rapidly. "I can't die! The world still needs my genius!" She cried.

"I don't want this...! I don't want to die yet...!" Lips weighing into a frown, Kokichi whined as his eyes began to moisten with tears.

"You don't need to worry. Atua will welcome you with open arms." Angie assured, calmly pressing her hands together.

"...That's after we die, right?" Himiko deadpanned.

"There's no reason to panic right now!" Despite his own trembling figure, Kaito raised his voice in an attempt to comfort his panicking classmates. "I'll do something about this, I promise!"

"Do you have a course of action in mind?" Keebo turned to him hopefully.

The astronaut flinched at his question. "I'm... gonna start thinkin' of one right now!" He stuttered.

"Figures. I didn't expect anything from you in the first place." Maki huffed, averting her eyes.

"W-We gotta fight back then!" Gonta suggested slowly.

"Y-Yeah!" Tenko nodded along. "If we strike them with some sneak attacks, we might have a chance at winning!" She said, sharply swinging her arms through the air in a demonstration.

"What kind of Aikido moves even involve sneak attacks...?" Tsumugi asked.

"Come, everyone! Gonta use body, keep everyone safe!"

"You're going to fight those machines barehanded?" Ryoma questioned, arms folding over his chest. "Isn't that too reckless?"

"B-But we have to do it! If we don't, we'll all die!" Tenko reasoned.

"Wait! We still have time to calculate all other possible options-"

"We've got no time to be indecisive." Korekiyo shook his head. "Fight... or die. We have two choices."

"But don't both options lead to death?" Choju covered her lips with the hem of her sleeve. "Oh my, that's quite the predicament we're in then."

"You're just realizing that now?!" Tsumugi shouted anxiously.

"No...!" Kokichi murmured as his lips began to quiver. "I don't want that! I don't want to die yet! I'm gonna live!" He declared, voice growing more and more desperate by the second. "No matter what happens, I'm gonna make it no matter what!"

"No matter what...?" Kaede repeated under her breath, a look of panic darting across her lilac irises. "Wait! You can't do that!" She interjected. "Even if you made a mistake, you can't-"

"Then, will you take responsibility?" As if it were magic, all traces of an emotional breakdown vanished from the supreme leader's face as he stared Kaede dead in the eye with an unreadable expression.

"Huh?"

"If I die, will you take responsibility?" He elaborated, tilting his head to the side with an air of childlike enthusiasm, contradictory to the sinister topic. "I have people who will be sad if I die, y'know?"

"Um... That's..." Kaede's voice trailed off as her gaze dropped to a downcast.

"I'm kidding," Seeing the pianist so troubled by his request, Kokichi broke into a wide grin as he rested his hands behind the back of his head. "Nobody would be sad if I died. Though, I don't know about everyone else." He said, eyeing the other students before turning on the ball of his foot. "Anyway, I'm gonna take off now." He announced.

"Take off?" Rantaro raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Where are you going, Kokichi?"

"Oh, I don't knoooow." As he made his way towards the large double doors, Kokichi glanced over his shoulder with his index finger pressed to his lips. "I'm probably just going to stay in my room and do a loooot of thinking. Alone." He emphasized before exiting the dining hall.

"A-Alone in your room?" Miu pressed her lips together, shuffling a little in her seat. "What do you mean by that? Are you invitin' me to come and kill you?"

"Miu?" Kirumi addressed cautiously.

Feeling multiple pairs of eyes crawling on her skin, Miu shrieked. "N-Not that I'd... try to claim that perk for myself!" She justified nervously. "I'm way too classy to kill someone! Ugh! Talkin' to you idiots is exhausting! I'm gonna go to my room and rest!" With that, the Ultimate Inventor rose to her feet and scurried out of the room.

"Miu! You better not do anything shady, okay?" Kaede called out after her.

"There's no need to worry, is there...?" Keebo glanced around at the remaining students anxiously, as if he were asking for any form of reassurance. "No one is going to... kill anyone, right?"

"If I was going to do it, I'd kill the robot." Himiko shrugged indifferently.

"That's even worse!"

"Hmm..." Leaving Keebo to his complaining over Himiko's 'robophobic comment,' Korekiyo breathed out a thoughtful hum. "So everyone feels that killing is wrong. But why is that?" He murmured.

"Huh?" Kaede gasped.

"Of course, I know that it's against the law, but laws are just things that are imposed by humans." The anthropologist described, his voice ever-so-ominous. "There are no rules like that in nature, or this environment. Therefore, we've no need to follow them."

"Don't say stupid shit like that!" Kaito reprimanded. "Even kids know that killing is wrong. It's common sense!"

Korekiyo raised an eyebrow at the young man. "Even if it's to survive?" He asked, bringing another wave of chills to the stillness of the dining hall. "We are merely guinea pigs in this experiment. We cannot be picky about our means of survival." He reminded.

Kaito's brows furrowed. "What are you trying to say...?"

Letting out a breathy laugh, Korekiyo's thin eyes crinkled. "I only wish to observe the beauty of humanity and witness the depths of its sins. So you've no need to fear me." He assured before exiting the dining hall, causing the students to feel a little uneasy by his... unique behaviour.

"Kiyo!"

"M-Males in the soft sciences are pretty soft themselves, so I don't think they'll do anything..." Tenko chuckled awkwardly.

"He's not wrong though." Pulling his beanie further down towards his face, Ryoma piped up. "If we want to stay alive, standing around grumbling isn't gonna change anything. As things are right now, we're not going to escape together." He paused for a moment, eyes flickering upward to sweep over each of the others. "We're going to die together. Are you guys okay with that?" Leaving everyone with the echoes of his question, the former tennis player then made his way out.

"Everyone, wait!" Kaede called out nervously. "We haven't decided on what to do yet!"

"You can decide that on your own." Maki sighed, standing up from her seat.

"Huh?" Kaede blinked.

"Your half-assed speeches won't work on us anymore. You know that, right? So just come up with a plan yourself." Shooting the blonde a look of annoyance, Maki pushed off from the table and began to make her way towards the red double doors.

"Oh my, Harukawa-san." As the brunette brushed past Choju's seat, the songstress couldn't help but call out to her between sips of her morning tea. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh on Kaede?"

Maki's steps came to an abrupt halt as she glared over her shoulder at the silver-haired girl, who returned her hostility with her usual enigmatic smile. The instant their ruby and amethyst-like eyes clashed, the pressure within the air seemed to have shot up ten-fold, rendering everyone else stiff and rigid.

"I-It's okay," Jolting up from her seat, Kaede quickly stepped in to mend the cold war that seemed to be brewing amidst the two. "I don't mind, really!" She assured, tensing a little as both girls turned to look at her.

Choju's unbalanced expression immediately sweetened. "I see. As long as you're okay with it, Kaede." She said before attempting to take another sip of tea, only to stop when she felt Maki's sharp gaze still lingering on her. "Hm?" She sounded, glancing over at the brunette with a blink and a head tilt. "Weren't you going to leave, Harukawa-san?" She asked innocently.

In the face of her simple question, Maki's eyes only narrowed. Then with a click of her tongue, she turned and exited the dining hall.

As the pressure within the room returned to normal, Angie hummed. "I'm just going to pray to Atua." She chimed before leaving the room.

"Um... I too, would like to be alone and think for a while." Tsumugi requested as she raised her hand. "It's a shame I wouldn't be able to hide all my 'special' art commission before I die. Or that 'special' pillowcase I bought..." She sighed, reaching a hand up to cup her cheek as she began murmuring to herself. "What should I do?"

"Is everyone leaving...?" Kaede looked around in a panic, finally registering the drastic decrease in numbers. "You guys! You can't listen to Monokuma!" She exclaimed.

"Everyone, what wrong?" Gonta glanced at the solemn faces that remained in the room. "Why everyone scatter?"

"Tch, fine!" Kaito clicked his tongue in annoyance. "All of you just do whatever you want!" He yelled out to no one in particular.

"This is exactly what Monokuma wants us to do," Rantaro remarked, resting his hand to his chin as he observed the situation. "So what else is part of his plan? Is my memory part of it too? If so, then..." He hesitated, a darkened look crossing over his sculpted features. "Can I even trust myself?"

"Rantaro? What's wrong?" Shuichi asked gingerly.

"Hey, I have a question." Turning back to face the group, Rantaro narrowed his eyes a little. "This might sound a little weird, but does the term 'Ultimate Hunt' ring a bell for anyone?" He inquired, wording his sentence with an excessive amount of caution.

"Ultimate Hunt...?" Kaede repeated thoughtfully before shaking her head. "No, not really."

"What is that?" Choju tilted her head to the side.

Rantaro pressed his lips together, stilling for a moment. "Nothing." He finally said, shaking his head. "Forget it."

Unconvinced by his words, Kirumi raised an eyebrow at the young man's odd behaviour. "What do you mean, Rantaro?" She questioned.

"It's really nothing. I'm just confused, that's all." The Mystery Student assured with a forced laugh. "I mean, everyone here can't remember how they got here, so they're all a bit uneasy. In my case, I can't even remember my own talent." Slowly rising to his feet, he began making his way towards the red doors. "So please bear with me if I say things that don't make sense sometimes."

Then, he left.

"Rantaro..." Kaede murmured.

Seeing the cafeteria fall into a heavy silence once more, Choju breathed out a sigh. "Now then, I believe I should excuse myself as well." She announced, lightly clearing her throat.

"Seriously? You too?" Kaito immediately shot her a look of disappointment, looking as if he was about to reprimand her for promptly abandoning the group as everyone else had.

"Ahh, please don't misunderstand me," Seeing through his intentions, Choju quickly waved her hands. "I'm just returning to my room to get some rest," She explained. "But if there's anything I can do to help, please do not hesitate to call on me. I'll do everything I can to support you all."

** _***_ **

The next time Choju exited her dorm room, it was already two in the afternoon. She had gotten hungry and finally decided that it was time to get some lunch. However, as she made her way down the corridor towards the cafeteria, the sight of a familiar figure immediately piqued her interests.

"Rantaro?" She called out, approaching the mysterious young man with light steps. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Choju," The young man glanced over his shoulder, seeming startled by the songstress's sudden appearance. "I was just going to visit the school store." He explained.

"The School Store?" Choju repeated, blinking a few times. "What for?"

Upon her question, Rantaro flinched ever-so-slightly. "Well..." His voice trailed off as he scratched the back of his head, an awkward smile surfacing upon his thin lips.

Noting his peculiar reaction, Choju smiled into her hand. "Hey, Rantaro," She hummed, lips curling into a soft beam of her own. "What do you say we finish that date we started yesterday?"

** _***_ **

"You really didn't have to come along," Rantaro said as he held the door open.

"Oh, I insist. It's not like I have much to myself either way." Choju assured as she entered the eccentric school store, swiftly eyeing the odd bits and bobbles scattered about the mismatched room.

"So?" She cocked her head to the side. "Why did you want to visit the School Store of all places? Did you perhaps want to buy one of those totem masks hanging up there? If that's the case, I must admit, you have some strange preferences, Rantaro."

"No, it's not those I'm after." Rantaro sweatdropped as he made his way further into the room before stopping once he reached the counter. "It's the MonoMono Machine."

"The MonoMono Machine..." Choju repeated, eyes round. "As in that Gashapon?"

Rantaro nodded before heaving a short sigh. "You see, I've been thinking of ways for me to remember my Ultimate Talent." He explained, peering over his shoulder at the silver-haired girl. "I've searched everywhere for my research lab, but it was useless."

"Well, the Monokubs did mention that some places were still under construction." She pointed out.

"Yeah. But then I began to wonder..." His green eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "Could there be things in the MonoMono Machine that are also tied to my talents? I mean, I highly doubt that the items placed within are done so randomly."

"I see, that is a fair argument." Resting a hand under her chin, Choju hummed thoughtfully. "Very well then, please allow me to assist you."

Rantaro's eyes widened with surprise. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Of course!" She nodded, reaching into the inner compartments of her dress to pull out a few of the signature bronze coins with Monokuma's face etched on. "It's not like I have any use for these Monocoins. And besides, they can be found in practically every corner of the academy, I'm sure I can spare a few to help you."

For a few moments, the two stood in abject silence as Rantaro considered her offer. It didn't take long for that brief skepticism to transform into a small smile. "Thank you, Choju." He said.

The songstress tilted her head to the side compliantly. "Shall we get to it, then?"

And so for the next ten minutes, the two students took turns using the Monomono Machine. Inserting a single coin at a time, they waited for the machine to rattle itself before dispensing their prize in a tiny capsule.

"No... These don't work together at all, do they..." Rantaro remarked, holding up a mummified monkey's paw and a freeze-dried cake called the 'Astro Cake.'

"Indeed." Choju cupped a hand to her cheek. "In fact, I'm a little more concerned about who would be interesting in these rather... peculiar items."

"No kidding." Rantaro sighed. "And sometimes the item is almost impossibly huge." He said, peering over his shoulder at the 'Work Chair Of Doom' that inflated immediately upon their opening of the capsule.

"I wonder how they got it to fit inside," Choju chuckled as she readied another coin. "Well, I suppose I'll go next."

After inserting the little bronze coin into its designated slot, Choju gently turned the plastic wheel before stepping back out of precaution. She watched intently as the Monomono machine began to shake, the little capsules stuffed within bounced around as if they were popcorn in the making. As the rumbling settled, a single capsule exited the machine's body and slid down the spiralling pathway, appearing before her and Rantaro.

Reaching out to take the plastic container, Choju carefully twisted the two ends only for a loud pop to resonate within the room, startling the two.

The two ends of the gashapon capsule had snapped open under pressure, revealing a glamorous black wig that began to inflate and take shape within the songstress's hands.

"It's a Japanese Doll Wig," She said.

"Maybe the things in this machine really are placed randomly..." Rantaro sweatdropped.

The two continued, taking turns using the Monomono machine for the next thirty minutes or so, tossing in coins and opening capsules until they both ultimately ran out of Monocoins. In the end, they agreed to split the odd bits and bobbles they've received from the machine and call it a day.

"We didn't find any clues, but at least it was fun," Choju said, smiling up at the mystery-talented student as they walked down the Ultimate Academy's overgrown hallways.

"Fun?" Rantaro raised an eyebrow at her odd choice of word.

"Didn't you get a little excited when something new was about to come out?" She giggled, amethyst-like eyes practically glimmering with joy. "I certainly felt like I was a child again."

Subconsciously toying with the ends of his matcha-colour hair, Rantaro thought on her remark for a moment. "I guess so." He agreed, breathing out a soft laugh. "Well, I guess I should collect more of those coins and try again."

"I'd be more than willing to help," Choju offered.

"Is that okay?"

"Of course!" She nodded enthusiastically. "This is a little embarrassing to say, but..." Her voice trailed off a little as she hid the bottom half of her face behind the haul of items, effectively hiding the light flush that began to surface on her cheeks. "I enjoy spending time with you like this, Rantaro." She admitted bashfully.

"Me?" Rantaro's eyes widened with confusion as his steps came to a halt. "Why?"

"I don't really know..." Choju hummed, stopping a distance in front of him. "But for some reason, I feel like I can be myself around you." She said, glancing over her shoulder with a beaming smile.

** _***_ **

Choju left her dorm room once more the following morning. She figured that it'd be best to get a morning walk in, so she could both stretch her legs and spend a little while longer exploring the academy, seeing as how she had been chair-bounded on their first day there due to being trapped in a freezing science lab. It was as she wandered around the corridors on the second floor, did she discover something rather interesting.

A door printed with the black and white patterns of a piano and a large treble clef.

She cocked her head to the side, silver-hair sliding down her shoulders ever-so-slightly. Reaching out, she was about to grasp the doorknob when-

"Choju?"

Instantly recognizing that voice, Choju whipped her head around, spotting the Ultimate Pianist standing not far down the hallway, eyes wide.

"Kaede," Pressing a hand to her chest, she let out a soft sigh. "You surprised me."

"O-Oh, I'm really sorry about that," The blonde murmured. Averting her eyes to the side, she turned to leave. "I'll get going right now-"

"Wait, where are you going?" Choju stopped her. "This is your Ultimate Research Lab, is it not? If anything, shouldn't I be the one leaving?"

Kaede glanced over her shoulder sheepishly, watched the smaller girl with eyes filled with uncertainty. "Well, I, um..." She stammered, gaze darting between the songstress and the piano patterned door.

Choju blinked a few times. Touching the tips of her fingers to her lips, she smiled. "Please Kaede," She said. "Would you like to tour your Research Lab alongside me?"

** _***_ **

"Woah!" Kaede couldn't help but gasp in amazement as she pushed open the doors to the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab. The first thing that caught her eye was the giant grand piano in the centre of the room, standing on a slightly elevated stage as if it were the focal point of the entire universe. At the back of the room, there was a large chalkboard with pre-written piano notes already lined up and ready to play, while the sidewall formed a large shelf stocked full of presumably every classical CD there was known to man.

Following the blonde into the room, Choju let out a soft hum. "As the Ultimate Pianist, you must really enjoy the instrument, hm?"

Kaede nodded wordlessly, running up to the classical instrument to lift its covers, gleaming with joy when she saw the row of black-and-white keys beaming back at her. "Ever since I was a child, I'd play the piano whenever I got bored," She explained. "There were even times I played the piano so much that I'd forget to eat and sleep. So eventually, my friends just started calling me 'the piano freak.'"

"I'm sure they were just jealous," Choju chuckled lightly, pacing to her side by the grand piano. "Your skills must be something extraordinary to be given the title the 'Ultimate Pianist.' Perhaps you should consider taking their derogatory terms as a compliment instead," She suggested.

Lifting her lavender-coloured eyes to stare at the girl beside her, the Ultimate Pianist could help but let out a wry chuckle. "Thanks for saying that," She murmured. "But the piano is all I'm good for, really."

"A talent in the piano is still a talent nonetheless, Kaede," Choju interjected without missing a beat. "Be more confident in yourself."

Kaede's expression turned to astonishment as she slowly processed her words. But it didn't take long before she shifted her gaze back to the black-and-white keys with a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah," She reached up to tuck a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I guess so." After taking a moment to recompose herself, she pressed her finger against the C key, jolting back a little when the pristine note reverberated within the piano. "Oh, it's in tune too!"

"Whoever is running this facility must've taken great care of it."

Kaede nodded, her eyes crinkling as she gently caressed the keys. "I'm glad..."

The silver-haired girl glanced over, studying the profile of the blonde's face before chuckling.

"Huh?" Kaede jumped, a little taken aback by her sudden reaction. "What's so funny?"

"Just as I thought, you seem much more relaxed with a piano present," Choju remarked, causing Kaede to blink in a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

"W-What?"

"You just seemed so uncomfortable around me all the time," She pointed out, shyly hiding the bottom half of her face behind her fingers. "I was beginning to worry, that's all."

The pianist's lavender-coloured eyes widened ever-so-slightly as she processed the words that chimed like an echoing bell throughout the Research Lab. She thought back to her previous actions when she had so courteously insisted on visiting the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab alongside her.

_Was that all to help me feel better?_

"No, that's not it at all!" Kaede quickly shook her head, her eye-line flickering down to the black and white piano keys that rested under her fingertips. "Listen," She breathed a steadying sigh. "I'm really sorry about what happened in the underground passage."

"Pardon?" The songstress was confused.

"It was my fault you collapsed," She admitted solemnly. "If it wasn't for me pushing for us to keep going, you wouldn't have collapsed like you did. And-"

"Kaede," Choju's voice was gentle, effectively interrupting the girl and drawing her attention back towards her delicate gaze. "I believe I've mentioned this before, but I naturally have a weaker constitution than others," She reminded with a wry smile. "What happened back there was in no way your fault."

"Still, if I hadn't been so insistent-" Kaede opened her mouth to protest only to jolt in surprise when she felt a set of cold hands envelope her warmer ones.

"There is no need for you to apologize for any inconvenience my body has caused," Choju stated firmly.

Despite the inherent chill that began to seep through the songstress's hands and trail up her arms, Kaede found herself utterly captivated by her amethyst-like eyes as they twinkled in the rays of sunlight that shone through the open windows.

"Thanks," The blonde murmured as she pulled her hands away, feeling somewhat lighter after Choju's words of reassurance. "Erm, if you don't mind me asking," Awkwardly clearing her throat, she shifted her attention back to the smaller girl. "Why is your body... the way it is?"

Choju flinched.

Noticing her reactions, Kaede stiffened in suit. "Oh, but- Of course, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine!" She assured.

Swiftly recomposing herself, Choju shook her head as a melancholy smile curled at her lips. "No, it's okay. If it's you, I don't mind," She peered down at the piano bench for a moment. "May I?" She gestured to the bench, nodding graciously when the pianist scooted over to some make room.

"How much do you know about me?"

"I've heard a bit from Shuichi," Kaede admitted. "He seems to know a lot about everyone, you know?" She added with a hint of pride.

"As expected of the Ultimate Detective," Choju chuckled

"He told me that you're apart of a famous opera group in our country called the Hoshino Opera Company," She said. "And that you were scouted when you were six but rose to the position of their Prima Donna when you were just ten-years-old."

Choju hummed bashfully, cheeks flushing slightly at the reminder of her achievements. "It's a little embarrassing to hear it back from someone, but yes, that is correct. However. Did you know? Before I was scouted, before I was taken into the Hoshino Opera Company," She paused, taking a moment to poise herself before continuing. "I was just a street urchin living in the slums."

"Huh?" Kaede's mouth gaped open.

"I never knew my parents as I was abandoned by them at a young age, so I spent the early years of my life bathing in the local fountains and stealing food to get by," Choju explained, her gaze shifting to downcast as she stared at the black and white piano keys. "I lived in the slums alongside many other kids under similar circumstances, where survival in itself was a brutal competition. Most of the time, a brawl would break out over something as little as a set of fish bones. I knew it'd be impossible for me to win, compared to most of the other kids, so I'd resort to eating the grass on the sidewalk - which is the reason for my malnourished state now."

"Oh my god..." The Ultimate Pianist looked utterly horrified. "That sounds horrible! What about the orphanages? Couldn't they help you?"

"Surprisingly, kids like us weren't that uncommon around my area," Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, the songstress gave a wry smile. "The local orphanages were already overflowing with homeless and abandoned children, which meant most kids couldn't even get a place in the system. Despite all that, I've always enjoyed singing. It was always something that kept me going during those tough times. Then one day, the right person just so happened to overheard me at the right time," She pressed a hand to her chest. "And that's how I was scouted into the Hoshino Opera Company."

Kaede didn't respond.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?" Sensing her heavy mood, Choju continued. "How a dirty, haggard urchin from the streets rose to be named the most beautiful and talented songstress of the country? But it's nothing you need to apologize for, Kaede," She shifted her body to face the blonde little more. "Everything happens for a reason, and all that matters is that I am very much happy now."

For a moment there, the room was silent. Just two students sitting in the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab, in which Kaede simply stared down at the smaller girl before her with pity and sympathy. She felt... honoured, happy even, that Choju was willing and comfortable enough to share her muddled past with her. She opened her mouth, about to say something when the sound of the piano-patterned door clicking open caught their attention.

"Kaede?" Shuichi popped his head in, eyes rounding with surprise when he noticed the silver-haired girl. "Oh, Choju. You're here too."

"Shuichi!" The blonde gasped as she jolted up from the piano bench. "Sorry, Choju. I gotta run. I promised Shuichi I'd help him... erm..." She stammered, awkwardly making her way towards the door as the songstress followed in curiosity.

"Look around the underground passage," Shuichi covered for her. "There might've been something we missed while we were down there. So we're going to scout that area again."

"Oh."

Noticing the silver-haired girl's slightly dejected expression, Kaede turned towards her. "Hey," She called out, lowering her body a little, so they were now speaking on eye-level. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Choju shook her head. "I supposed I was just hoping to hear you play the piano today."

"What?"

"Well, I've heard many pianists in my time singing at the Opera. I often wondered what it would be like to hear the Ultimate Pianist play, and I also wondered if she wouldn't mind if I..." She paused for a moment, bashfully hiding the bottom half of her face behind her dress sleeve. "If I sang along with her music...?"

"Of course, I wouldn't mind!" Kaede assured, expression practically beginning to twinkle from the thought of that collaboration. "I promise, once we get out of here, I'll play for you as many times as you want!"

"Really?"

"Of course!" She nodded with a bright smile before following Shuichi out the door. "Well, I'll see you around!"

"For sure," Choju waved back, standing before the door as it slowly began to draw shut before her.

Once they were outside, Shuichi couldn't help but eye Kaede's beaming expression, watching as she readjusted the straps of the small white backpack on her shoulders with a certain lightness to her movements. "You look like you're on better terms," He said out of the blue, earning a look of confusion from the blonde.

"Huh?"

"Choju," He nudged his chin towards the piano patterned door. "You look like you're much more comfortable talking to her."

"Oh, yeah," Kaede's smile widened a little. "She's a really nice girl. Very sweet and sincere."

Upon hearing her words, Shuichi's eyes widened. "Sincere... huh?" He averted his gaze to the side.

Barely catching onto his inaudible muttering, Kaede cocked her head. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, it's nothing," Gently shaking his head, Shuichi quickly recomposed himself as he veered their conversation back on track. "Anyways, I came to talk to you about the disposable cameras and security sensors I just delivered to Miu. I asked her to modify it so that the cameras can be triggered by the sensors."

"What are you gonna use that for?"

"I'm gonna set it up on the moving bookcase," He explained. "That way, we can keep watch from anywhere, as long as we have the receiver. So if someone moves the bookcase to get to the monochrome door, the receiver will let us know, and the camera will immediately take a picture of whoever moved the bookcase."

"I see," Resting a hand to her chin, Kaede hummed thoughtfully. "So, I guess now we can only wait, huh?"

"Yeah," Shuichi nodded. "Once Miu is done with the modifications, we'll set them up in the library before the time limit is up."

"Alright," Kaede heaved a sigh. "Let's go take a look around to see if we can find anything else," She said, beginning to lead the way around the corner.

As the two began to walk away from the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab, neither of them would ever realize that a faint slit remained open between the piano-patterned door and its frame, barely held open by the tip of a butterfly-shaped hairpin.

Choju stood on the opposite end of the door, staring straight ahead with an indecipherable expression etched onto her delicate features.

_The library, huh?_

** _***_ **

After making sure the two were gone, Choju left the Ultimate Pianist's Research Lab and immediately made her way towards the basement of the academy, where the library resided. Taking the entrance closer to the stairs, she carefully pushed the wooden open, trying to remain as quiet as possible when she spotted an unlikely figure situated at the back of the room. The boy with a chessboard-like bandanna tied around his neck, stood before one of the bookshelves, examining it with great interest.

Choju stood still, wondering if she should call out to Kokichi only to notice something slightly out of the ordinary in his appearance. She blinked. Then without another word, she began to approach him in silence.

As she got within an arm's length to him, Choju reached up for the tips of his hair when Kokichi suddenly whipped his head around, a dangerous glint flashing across his usual light purple eyes that remained hidden under the shadow of his bangs. She let out a startled gasp, unable to react quickly enough as Kokichi near-instantly secured a firm grip on her wrist, shoving it upwards and away from himself.

Surrounded by the faint smell of books and aged paper, the ticking clock filled the silence in the room as Kokichi took a moment, briefly examining the silver-haired girl's wide-eyed expression before breaking into a cheeky grin.

"What's wrong, Choju-chan?" He teased as he slowly lowered her arm, though his grip didn't loosen in the slightest. "Are you here to kill me? Even if I look all weak and poor, it's still bad to underestimate your opponents, you know?"

The Songstress's lips swiftly melted into a smile. "Oh my, that wasn't my intention at all," She replied in a composed manner despite the painful grip on her arm. "But I don't believe you're as weak as you claim, Kokichi. Judging from how quickly you moved, I was no match for you."

"Well, of course, I was lying, silly," He snickered. "As the Ultimate Supreme Leader, I've mastered all sorts of foul techniques to make sure no one can sneak up on me like you did."

"That's quite amazing."

Faced with her lukewarm response, Kokichi's expression returned to a state of neutrality as his grip slowly began to loosen around her wrist. "So? What did you want to do?"

Choju chuckled softly. "Oh dear, please don't be so guarded. I merely..." Her voice trailed off as she took a step closer. Rising to her tip-toes, she reached up towards his dark purple hair once more before pulling away with a small green leaf clasped between her thumb and index fingers. "I merely wanted to pick this out for you," She smiled.

Kokichi's body seemed visibly stiffer after the stunt she just pulled. But a readied grin quickly overtook that once she took a step back with the pesky leaf in hand. "Ah, I see."

"Have you been running around outside?"

"A little, yeah," He brought his arms behind his head. "I've been hard at work, trying to gather information to find another way out of this place."

"I suppose I owe you my thanks then."

"Of course you do." Kokichi scoffed. "Now get on your knees and say 'Thank you, o' Great Supreme Leader.'"

The silver-haired girl blinked. "Is that what you would like me to do?"

"Would you do it?"

"As much as I would love to, I'm afraid my dress makes it very hard for me to move around," She said, gesturing down at her fluffy, ruffled skirt. "Would a simple 'Thank you' suffice?" She cocked her head to the side, voice laced with a hint of innocence yet hopefulness.

Kokichi hummed after a moment of thought. "Eh, I guess I can settle for that. For now." He added, a hint of imbalance flashing across his features as he glanced over his shoulder at the bookshelves he had been so profoundly studying before her arrival. "So? What brings you to the library, Little Miss Songstress?"

"Well-"

"Oh! Did you hear about the secret door too?" He suddenly cut her off, eyes glimmering.

"Pardon?"

"Of course, you did, huh? I mean Shuichi-chan and Kaede-chan aren't exactly discreet in hiding it. I just had to eavesdrop on them a little, and boom! Now I know all about this hidden door in the library."

Choju gave a wry smile. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," She said, covering her lips behind her fingers' tips. "But don't you think it's a little unfair to say that they 'aren't exactly discreet?' You were listening in on a private conversation after all."

Kokichi shrugged dismissively as he peered down at his nails. "Who cares about the details? All that matters is that I overheard it," His gaze swept her up and down. "So? What are you doing here then? Don't tell me you're actually here to borrow a book."

"Well, yes, in fact." Choju nodded. "I am here to borrow a book. Reading helps to calm my nerves."

"You read?" Kokichi gasped, the exaggerated disbelief in his tone was practically mocking. "That's surprising. I thought you were just a dumb little girl who didn't know how to do anything but sing a song or two."

Choju's body froze for a split second. But it didn't take long for her eyes to crinkle while her lips curled into an enigmatic smile. "You aren't wrong," She admitted as she tucked a few strands of silver hair behind her ears. "While I say reading, I mostly meant simple fairytale books for children. I'm not exactly well-versed in the literary arts."

"Wait, you really can't read well? I was just lying when I said that."

"Well, I am a songstress." She pointed out. "We don't do very much. But that aside," She looked around the otherwise empty room. "What are you doing in the library, Kokichi? Is there something of importance here?"

"Hm? Didn't I just tell you?" He glanced at her. "I'm here to check out the secret door Shuichi-chan and Kaede-chan were whispering about in the hallway. My guess is that it's behind that shelf somewhere," He said, pointing over his shoulder.

"I see," Choju stared up at the seemingly average bookshelf with a curious look. "A secret door, huh?"

Kokichi studied her profile. "What do you think of it, Choju-chan?" He suddenly asked.

"Me?"

"Yep!" He nodded. "As the Ultimate Supreme Leader, I wanna hear everyone's opinions no matter how dumb they are. So fire away, what do you think about this supposed 'secret door' those two were whispering about?"

Choju didn't immediately respond. Instead, she simply stared at this boy before her with an unreadable expression. "Then, if you don't mind," She took a few steps closer towards the shelf, brushing a few fingers past the spine of some books. "If there was indeed a hidden door behind this bookshelf, then I think there would be a high possibility that the true mastermind of this game, the person who controls Monokuma, could be hiding behind those doors," She said after a moment of thought. "But I haven't seen a single camera throughout the entire academy, which begs the question - how are they able to monitor us? Of course, Monokuma and the Monokubs could be glorified, state-of-the-art, talking security cameras. But they aren't always present to watch over us," She brought a hand under her chin. "This leads me to believe that the mastermind themselves could be hidden among us Ultimate students. Possibly even a spy or two."

"Are you suggesting that we should distrust and doubt each other?" Kokichi questioned in amusement.

"Oh, not at all!" She immediately waved her hands, frowning at the prospect. "As Rantaro mentioned while explaining the prisoner's dilemma. It's better to cooperate than to betray each other, since cooperation can lead to the best outcome among us." She clasped her hands before her chest. "Besides, I would hate to see everyone doubt each other like that. Ultimate Students are quite rare in itself, so it'd be tragic if everyone began killing each other under the influences of such a sick and twisted game," Glancing over towards Kokichi, she noted his neutral expression. "So?" She smiled sheepishly. "How did I do?"

Kokichi hummed in thought before sticking out his tongue. "T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E," He jeered, turning on the heel of his foot to face the bookshelves once more. "I already figured out everything you mentioned the moment I heard about a hidden door in the library," He sighed in exasperation. "Jeez, you really are just an airheaded idiot."

"I apologize for that," She let out a wry chuckle. "I suppose I'll take my leave now. I shouldn't bother you any longer."

"Yeah, yeah," Kokichi waved his hand as if he were ushering her off. "Talking to someone as brain-dead as you is just a giant waste of time."

Choju gently bowed her head before making her way out the library, her hands balling into fists as she shut the door behind her.

** _***_ **

The following morning, Choju had just finished locking up her room door when the sound of another door opening caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder, just in time to spot a certain green-haired pretty boy walk out of his designated dorm behind the staircase on the boy's side of the building.

"Oh, Rantaro. Good Morning," She called out, quickly placing her keys back into the inner compartments of her dress as she jogged to meet him at the exit of the dormitory.

Rantaro smiled when he spotted the songstress. "Good Morning to you too," He greeted her back as he held open the glass door to let her through. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"No, not really," Choju gave a wry smile as they began down the path towards the main academy building. "What about you?"

"Honestly, I had a difficulty sleeping too," Rantaro admitted as he awkwardly reached up to scratch the back of his head.

Her lips weighed into a frown. "Do you... Do you think we're going to be okay?" She murmured, suddenly halting in her tracks as her voice began to quiver. "I know that murder is wrong. But I... I don't want to die."

Rantaro froze when he spotted the glossy flicker within her amethyst-like eyes.

"I don't want to die," She repeated under her breath as her hands began to tremble before her chest. "I don't want anybody to die. We promised that when we get out, we'd all be friends. There are still so many things I want to do... So many things I-"

"Choju!" Before she could go on any longer, Rantaro reached forth to grab her by the shoulders, giving a loud call for her name that effectively shook the girl out of her trance. "It's going to be okay," He spoke in a softer voice, a calm smile gracing his lips.

"R-Rantaro...?"

"Look, I'm not going to ask you to trust me," His gaze flickered to a downcast as his brows knitted closer together. "I'm not even that sure I can trust myself. But I have an idea. An idea that might help end this killing game."

She was taken aback by his sudden and bold claim. "Ending the killing game? How?"

Rantaro flinched. "I... I can't tell you that," He said, averting his eyes to the side a little. "I can't risk you or anyone else interfering. But just... hold on, okay?" Shifting his gaze back to her, his voice was firm. "Everything will be fine."

As her shaking hands and unsteady breath slowly levelled out, Choju's lips parted. "I'm sorry," She gasped, gingerly taking a step back as she worked on recomposing herself. "I don't know what came over me there."

"It's fine," Rantaro assured as he straightened his posture. "In fact, it'd be even weirder if you weren't at least a little freaked out by our current circumstances," He pointed out with a half-hearted laugh.

"Still, I apologize for that," Choju said, awkwardly fidgeting with her bangs as if to hide behind her hand. "And, erm... Rantaro?"

"Hm?"

"Even if you don't believe in yourself, know that I believe you," She told him, peering up with a bashful smile gleaming at her cheeks. "I believe that you can put an end to this killing game."

Though he was initially surprised by her sudden claim, a smile quickly grew on Rantaro's lips as well, though he was admittedly a lot more wistful by comparison.

"Thanks, Choju," was all he could say.

** _***_ **

"Good morning, everyone." Entering the cafeteria, Rantaro and Choju were immediately greeted by a pleasant combination of smells. The soft scent of a buffet of western breakfast and the pungent flavours traditional Japanese breakfast. Despite being so different, the two different styles seemed to complement each other surprisingly well.

"Good Morning to the both of you," Kirumi smiled from behind the kitchen counter. "Take a seat, I have breakfast ready. Choju, what tea would you like today?"

"Oh, it's okay. I can prepare it for myself-"

The Ultimate Maid held up a hand, signalling for the songstress to stop in her advance towards the kitchen. "Nonsense," She spoke sternly. "Please, allow me to do it."

Choju exchanged a brief glance with Rantaro, who simply shrugged with a wry smile. "Well, whatever's convenient then," She said. "What you usually make would be just fine, thank you."

"Hibiscus blend it is," Kirumi nodded.

Rantaro took a seat at the dining table across from Korekiyo with Choju at his side. Other than Kirumi, it seems that he, Ryoma, and Angie have also gathered to enjoy their possibly last breakfast together.

The Ultimate Anthropologist peered up from his Japanese-style breakfast, golden gaze discreetly sweeping across each of the teenagers as if he were assessing them. "So it's tonight then," He said out of the blue.

The room grew heavy with silence.

"Yep," Angie was the first to respond with a smile as bright as ever. "If no one dies by tonight, Atua will welcome all of us into his open arms."

"For some reason, I don't really feel I'm looking forward to that," Rantaro sweatdropped.

"I must admit, I have always wondered what death felt like," Korekiyo said as he ran a bandaged hand through his long ocean green hair. "And tonight, we may be able to find out whether it's truly a blessing or a curse."

There was another wave of silence as Kirumi emerged from the kitchen, a tray in hand carrying a tea set and two western-style breakfasts for the two new arrivals.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Ryoma suddenly spoke up, having just up the last of his eggs and toast.

"Hm? And what may that be?" Angie cocked her head to the side.

"I'll offer myself up. Someone kill me and take the first blood perk."

Silence.

"What?!" Rantaro was the first to break as he nearly jolted out of his seat.

"What are you talking about, Ryoma? There's no way we can't do that!" Choju chimed in, her face pale as a sheet.

"Why not?" Ryoma raised an eyebrow at the two. "This is the only option at this point. Besides," He averted his gaze to the side. "I don't have a reason to live anymore. I'd rather make myself useful and die for a good cause."

"Kehehe," Crossing his arms over his chest, Korekiyo chuckled in his signature, creepy laugh. "Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events."

"Even so!" Ignoring the Anthropologist's innate amusement, Choju continued to protest against the idea. "We can't... That'd be wrong!"

"Would you rather be wrong? Or be annihilated?" Ryoma questioned, his expression taking a dark turn. "Don't be idealistic, kid."

"But I... Well..."

Sensing Choju's distraught and discomfort, Rantaro quickly jumped in to back her up. "You're talking crazy, Ryoma," He rested his hands to his hips. "Calm down and listen to me. There's no need to-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the red doors to the cafeteria were thrown open to reveal Kaede, looking as if she ran over from the dormitory judging by how heavily she was panting. "What's going on here!?" She shouted, lavender eyes scanning the room as she took a quick head-count on who was present.

"Kaede!" Choju gasped.

"I could hear you guys arguing from the front of the school," After taking a deep breath in an effort to stabilize her own, Kaede walked in. "What's going on?" She asked again.

"I really don't know what to do," Rantaro explained as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Ryoma started talking crazy, and-"

"All I was doing is making a suggestion," The tennis play hummed. "So that more people can survive. Even if it's just one more."

Kaede grew confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you get it?" Ryoma glanced at the pianist with an unimpressed look. "If time runs out like this, we'll all get annihilated, you know? The only way to avoid that is to play along with this killing game."

"What?!" Her eyes grew wide. "Hold on for a second-"

"Kill me," Ryoma spoke decisively, causing the blonde's face to contort in pure horror.

"Ryoma! What are you saying?!" She shouted, expressing her clear distaste in the idea.

"I'm saying I'll give you my life," The man shrugged with an air of nonchalance. "The rest of you wanna live, right? Then I'll hand my life over to you."

"But we all promised!" Kaede said. "We promised we'd get out together!"

"I had hoped that through some miracle, things would end up that way, which is why I waited until now to mention it," Ryoma admitted as he adjusted his beanie. "But all we've been doing is waiting for the deadline like sitting ducks. There's no time left for that naive idealism, don't you think? No one would care if I lived or died, so this is the best choice for this situation. Whoever murders me gets to leave without a trial. Everyone else survives the time limit. After that, the person who gets to escape can go get help and rescue everyone else," He concluded, lips curled into what could only be described as an inviting smirk. "So how 'bout it?" He looked towards Kaede. "If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

"U-Um... well..." The blonde stammered, unable to find her words in the heat of the moment.

Shaking his head, Rantaro heaved a sigh in irritation. "As I've said Ryoma, there's no need for that."

"Hm?"

"There's no need for that because I'm going to end this killing game. I've already decided," He declared, startling everyone in the cafeteria par Choju who's already heard of his resolve earlier that morning. "It's not about outfoxing everyone in this killing game. It's about ending the game itself," He stated. "That's the real goal."

"Can you even accomplish such a feat?" Korekiyo questioned cautiously.

"And how will you end it?" Kirumi added on, her brows furrowing with doubt as she attempted to logicize Rantaro's claim. "You understand that the time limit expires tonight, yes?"

"Haha, sorry. I can't tell you," The green-haired boy simply laughed and shrugged. "If I could, I wouldn't be having so much trouble."

"What do you mean?" Ryoma pursued.

"Just what I said. I'm going to end this game," Once again, his answers were unclear and vague at best. "So don't any of you go and do anything unnecessary, alright?" He said, directly most of his words at Ryoma in particular.

"Unnecessary...? What are you-"

"Ryoma," Before the Ultimate Tennis Player could grow too defensive over Rantaro's words, Choju spoke up. She had since calmed down from her previous emotional outburst and once again spoke with an air of tranquillity and dignity. However, the pity and sympathy very much continued to linger within her dark-purple irises. "I understand you want the best for us, I really do," She said, holding her hands together before her chest. "To be honest, I'm terrified too. There are still so many things I want to do, and so many things I want to accomplish. But please. Human life is precious, please don't dismiss it so easily as something that can be thrown away because you have 'nothing to live for anymore.'" She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to further compose herself before continuing. "I don't know what kind of life you've lived before all this, but you have us now. We would very much care if you lived or died, so please..." She looked directly into his eyes with a pleading gaze. "Please don't say such a thing ever again."

Ryoma stilled at her words. Averting his eyes to the side, he glanced around the room at the several pairs of expecting eyes, watching and waiting for what his next move would be. He sighed. "Alright, I got it. If you put it that way, it seems like I've still got ways to go." He lowered his beanie a little. "I take back my suggestion. Do whatever you want. Whether you live or die is up to you guys."

Having said that, he left the dining hall.

** _***_ **

After that tense and slightly chaotic breakfast, Choju retreated back into her dorm room and proceeded to stay there for the remainder of the day, curled up at the foot of her bed. It wasn't until she heard a light knock on her door did she finally move again.

"Hello?" Opening a slight crack, she was surprised to see a pair of cyan eyes return her gaze behind a set of glasses. "Tsumugi?"

"Hello, Choju," The Ultimate Cosplayer greeted with a shy smile. "Sorry, I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No, not at all." She quickly shook her head as she opened her door just enough for herself to slip out. "What's the matter? Did something happen?" Choju asked, swiftly scanning the dormitory hall to find no one else present.

"No, it's nothing like that," Tsumugi shook her head. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me for a little bit?"

Choju blinked. "Pardon?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Eyes rounding, the girl with cerulean hair took a step back. "I guess that was plain presumptuous of me, huh? Thinking someone like me could hang out with someone like you."

Choju gave a wry smile. "Oh my, that's not the case at all," She said, tilting her head to the side. "Whatever made you think that?"

"Because you're so pure and bright!" Tsugumi leaned forward, taking the silver-haired girl off guard as she spotted the brilliant twinkle in her eyes. "You're the talented and glamorous songstress that sings in front of millions of people on stage. Meanwhile, I'm a corrupted denizen of the night who enjoys dressing up as my favourite fictional characters and uploading it to the internet for fun," Cupping her cheek, she heaved a sigh. "Compared to you, I'm just the epitome of plainness. So how could I ever hope for you to hang out with me?"

Choju frowned. "I don't understand. Why do you keep insisting that you're a plain person, Tsumugi? There's more to everyone than just being as 'plain,' you know?"

"No, I'm plain. I know it," Tsumugi shook her head. "You don't have to worry about being polite. I'm like that one background character in anime that's been there since episode one, but nobody notices until I die near the end of the story to motivate the protagonist for the awesome season finale."

Choju pressed her lips together. She had no idea what this girl was talking about, but she smiled nevertheless. "But didn't you make a name for yourself by dressing up as such protagonists? I can only imagine how exciting that could be."

"True, it is a lot of fun to dress up as your favourite characters," Tsumugi averted her gaze. "But I tend to prefer the process of making cosplay over than wearing one myself."

"Is that so?"

"Yep!" She nodded. "But lately, more and more cosplayers are putting themselves before their characters. They use cosplay as a stepping stone in their careers in order to become celebrities and idols." Her shoulders slumped as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, when I see those kinds of people, I'd rather just wear my outfits myself. At least when I wear them, it's out of respect and love for whatever fandom and characters I'm cosplaying."

Choju's eyes crinkled. "As I thought, you really aren't plain at all."

"Huh?" Tsumugi seemed surprised.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but my personal definition of someone plain is when the person in question lacks any distinctive or remarkable features or traits," Choju explained, pressing a hand against her chest. "In other words, someone who completely lacks any form of ambition or passion." She paused for a moment, studying the taller girl before her. "But that is nothing like what I see in you, Tsumugi. You hold so much passion for anime, erm... otaku culture. There's no way someone like that could be written off as plain or unremarkable," Her lips melted into a beaming smile. "It's as I said the day we first met - I find your passion and love for your Ultimate Talent truly admirable."

"Choju..." Taken aback by her words, Tsumugi's eyes rounded. "Well, if you put it that way," She murmured, awkwardly tucking a lock of hair out of her face. "I still think I'm a super plain person. But for now, I'll take your word for it."

"I appreciate that."

"You know, you really have a way with words," Tsumugi pointed out. "For some reason, I feel a little better just by talking to you."

It was barely noticeable, but Choju's fingers had twitched ever-so-slightly at her statement. "You think so? I'm flattered." She giggled bashfully. "By the way, where did you want to hang out?"

** _***_ **

As per Tsumugi's suggestion, Choju soon found herself sitting in the cafeteria along with a few others. Namely, Korekiyo, Miu, Kirumi and, of course, Tsumugi.

Miu was sitting at the corner of the table all by her lonesome, muttering incoherent words to herself as she tinkered with some drone-like contraption. Korekiyo and Tsumugi, for some bizarre reason, had chosen to eat something from the menu. More specifically, the 'Pasta that tastes like a lonely old lady eating her grandkid's birthday cake' as they so candidly called it. Choju, as usual, remained occupied by her usual cup of tea after having finished her typical small proportion of salad. Kirumi simply waited to the side, holding herself high with the posture and dignity befitting of the Ultimate Maid.

With each light tick of the wall clock, Choju felt her joints stiffen. She found that it was getting more and more difficult to swallow the stiff lump that lodged itself into the back of her throat. But when it truly began to get suffocating, the sudden sound of static through the monitor snapped her out of her clouded mind.

"What-?"

She whipped her head around just in time to hear an insufferable tune begin blasting out of the monitor's speakers, filling the room with a squeaky high-pitched song that immediately instigated a series of migraines. It was far too loud for comfort, and the video that accompanied was just as crude - depicting several brightly coloured scenes of murder accompanied by the scrolling text 'In 1 hour... Everyone Dies!' Methods of the suggested murder ranged from drowning, hanging to straight-up bludgeoning. Upon seeing such a disturbing video, in the cafeteria immediately began to squirm.

"What the hell is with that shitty ass song?!" Miu snapped angrily. "I can't concentrate at all!"

"It seems that Monokuma is insistent on reminding us of the approaching time limit," Kirumi remarked, her expression growing dark with disdain.

"Kehehe... What an obnoxious song," Korekiyo chuckled. "Still, I must say. I was hoping my last supper would be a little more... appetizing than this."

"Yeah... It tastes horrible," Tsumugi gagged, her face as pale as a sheet. "If they were going to serve food in a place like this, couldn't they at least make it Tōtsuki Culinary Academy level?"

"If it's that bad, then don't eat it," Choju suggested with a small smile.

"N-No... That's not all..." Slowly rising from her seat, Tsumugi's body began to tremble. "I need to use the restroom! Excuse me!" And with that, she dashed out of the cafeteria, batting past the double red doors and around the corner.

"I wonder if she's alright," Choju sweatdropped.

"Ugh, who cares? All I want is for this thing to shut the hell up!" Miu grumbled as she stomped over to the monitors. "Is there a mute function on this thing? Or was the creator of these things just another one of those incompetent, braindead assholes?"

"Oh my, are implying that you could add one, Miu?"

"Duh!" The young woman with strawberry blonde hair glared over her shoulder, looking almost offended by the songstress's words. "I am the gorgeous girl genius whose good looks and golden brain will go down in history! Some dinky monitor like this is nothing compared to my great inventions. Just watch me!"

And so for the next little while, Miu sat on the ground with a few specialty tools and began her quest to silence the damn song. However, not even ten minutes later, just as Tsumugi returned from the restroom...

Everything went quiet.

"I'm back-"

"Ha!" Miu pulled back from the monitor with a proud grin. "See! Peace and quiet!"

"No... I don't think that's quite the case," Choju's brows furrowed, cautiously rising from her seat. "Something is weird..."

"Huh? Are you doubting my brilliance, you titless cocksucker?" Miu scowled at the smaller girl.

"No, she is right," Kirumi also went on high alert. "It's not just this one, even the monitors in the hallway have gone silent."

"Did something happen?" Korekiyo narrowed his eyes.

_Ding Dong, Bing Bong!_

It was that familiar chime again. The same bells that marked each one of those cursed morning announcements. Choju's eyes instinctively moved towards the darkened monitor, watching as it flickered to life to reveal Monokuma sitting in an extravagant black chair and a glass of wine in his paw.

"A body has been discovered!" He announced, his high-pitched voice dripping with an odd mixture of joy and doom. "Everyone, please gather in the library!"

And with that, the screen went back to black.

"W-What the hell was that?!" Miu shouted, acting as if she were to yell a little louder, the screen would turn back on, and Monokuma would answer the question then and there.

"A body?" Tsumugi's lips began to quiver.

Wasting no time, Kirumi hurried towards the large red doors. "We must go and investigate at once!" She quickly dashed out, the others following close behind.

As they made their way out to the academy's supposed foyer, they ran into Keebo, Ryoma and Kokichi, who had just managed to enter the building through the double glass doors.

"Hm? Where are the others?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow at their small numbers.

"They're probably already downstairs," Keebo theorized. "We gotta keep going!"

As soon as the group stuck a landing on the basement floor, Kirumi led the charge as she threw the library doors wide-open. They immediately spotted the others gathered towards the back of the room behind a few shorter shelves, Monokuma grinning ear to ear among them.

Unlike a few of the others who dawdled by the entrance, Choju swiftly ran to the back and rounded the corner, her movements coming to a rigid halt as the full scene panned out before her eyes. She felt herself inhale a cold, sharp breath.

A body laid motionless on the ground, fresh, neon pink blood still oozing from the wound to his head, trailing to the ground into an ever-expanding pool of blood. Though he was faced away from the group, that vibrant, matcha-green hair alone was more than enough of evidence to pinpoint exactly who it was.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

It wasn't until Tsumugi arrived beside her and immediately let out that blood-curdling scream, did Choju finally feel the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Her gaze turned hard as her fists clenched.

Rantaro Amai was dead. 

_Astra_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone... I'm so sorry this took so long to update. This is been a pretty tough year in general, ranging from college applications to my sudden ruptured appendix. I hope at the very least, the sheer bulk of this chapter made up for the... lengthy wait time. 
> 
> Internet story rules state that it is best to update short and sweet chapters weekly rather than put out huge bulky chapters of... ~12,500 words. But this Author-chan is just so stubborn and wants to release everything together like this for... plot flow. Quite frankly, I just want to get the first trial and chapter over with, since that is where the fun of this story truly begins ;).
> 
> I genuinely don't know when the next update will come. I was hoping that with school done and the arrival of summer, I'd be able to write more, but that's proving to be a little difficult right now due to a mixture of personal and technical issues. But I'm working on stabilizing an update-schedule, both for this story and Looking Glass, so please just be a little more patient~ 
> 
> And of course, I'm always open to comments. What do you guys think about Choju? Do you like her? Are you suspicious of her? Let me know! I'll try to get back to whatever comments I can. 
> 
> With that, have a great day!
> 
> XOXO,  
Astra

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you for your patience everyone! Welcome to my new story - a Danganronpa V3 fanfiction. I promise most of the chapters will not be nearly as difficult to read as this one, definitely no more glitched text for a long time. 
> 
> I just wanted to give a heads-up to you all before we begin. This story will be my 'version' slash retelling of Killing Harmony. I wanted to see if I could tweak the ending a little to a more... comprehensible, so there will be some events that are non-canon and have the inclusion of my own character. So please sit back and enjoy the ride!
> 
> And to my returning readers, I hope you will continue to support both me and this brand new series from here on out ♥️ 
> 
> With that, have a great day!
> 
> XOXO,
> 
> Astra


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